By Felicia Imohimi
The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has unveiled the 2026 wet season input distribution in Katsina under its Smallholder Farmer Input Support Programme to boost food production and improve farmers’ incomes.
The programme, implemented with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), targets cultivation of 10,000 hectares through 1,000 farmer cooperatives across the state.
BOA Managing Director, Mr Ayo Sotinri, said that the initiative reflected the bank’s renewed commitment to expanding smallholder farmers’ access to affordable agricultural inputs.
Sotinri said the intervention would support cultivation across approximately 10,000 hectares through more than 1,000 farmer cooperatives, working with Farmer Aggregation Companies (FACs).
He said each participating farmer would receive four bags of NPK fertiliser and two bags of urea.
According to him, the intervention is being implemented through BOA’s strengthened agricultural delivery system in collaboration with the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), the umbrella body for FACs.
He said BOA was leveraging grassroots farmer data and field intelligence to guide input loan deployment, ensuring support reached genuine producers.
Sotinri said the bank had strengthened its verification framework through farmer profiling, Bank Verification Number (BVN) and Know Your Customer (KYC) checks to improve transparency and accountability.
He said the measures would ensure subsidised agricultural inputs reached actively cultivating farmers while strengthening a data-driven agricultural finance system.
“The intervention demonstrates the power of collaboration between FMAFS, BOA and organised farmer groups to deliver critical inputs when farmers need them most,” he said.
Sotinri said supporting cultivation across 10,000 hectares would improve productivity, strengthen rural livelihoods and enhance food security.
He added that working with the National Agro Inputs Dealers/Buyers Group and FACs would ensure government support reached genuine farmers quickly, transparently and at scale.
He said disbursement to participating Farmer Aggregation Companies and cooperatives had commenced and would continue in line with the wet season planting calendar.
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, described agriculture as the backbone of the state’s economy and the main source of livelihood for thousands of residents.
Represented by Prof. Abdulhamid Mani, Commissioner for Rural and Social Development, Radda said the programme demonstrated the value of partnerships in supporting agricultural development.
Also speaking, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Katsina chapter, Mr Yau Gojo, commended BOA and FMAFS for working with organised farmer groups.
Gojo said timely access to fertiliser would enable more farmers to cultivate their land, increase yields and improve household incomes. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
FUA/TAK
Edited by Tosin Kolade