The Benue State Government has disclosed plans to re-activate its Marketing Board to help farmers get value for their produce.
Governor, Hyacinth Alia gave the indication in Makurdi, the State capital in Thursday during the flag-off of this 2026 fertilizer sales and distribution to farmers in the State.
The seasonal intervention is aimed at subsidizing fertiliser and other farming inputs which Governor Alia said is his administration’s deliberate policy direction to boosting food security.
Alia announced that the 2026 input distribution exercise will cover all 23 Local Government Areas, with strengthened transparency mechanisms to ensure equitable access, and eliminate diversion.
He informed the farmers that the State government has also increased the quantity of fertiliser and related inputs to meet the expanding farming population.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Benjamin Ashaver, said that the era of substandard fertiliser distribution is no more, stressing that strict enforcement mechanisms have now been put in place.
The Governor notes that the State’s pride as the “Food Basket of the Nation” should be sustained through modern agricultural practices, pointing out that government interventions are being expanded to ensure farmers have access to quality inputs, improved seedlings, herbicides, and support systems needed to increase productivity and commercialise agriculture.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
