In order to boost farmers’ productivity and ensure food security in Nigeria, the National Program for Food Security (NPFS) has empowered maize farmers in Lagos State with new maize seed varieties as well as fertilizer to plant for this rainy season.
The state coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Olayinka Akeredolu, while speaking during the presentation of the input to farmers, described the seed as a high-yielding and disease-resistant variety developed to promote food production and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
The new variety called Suwan-1-SR is high yielding, pest resistant, and good for consumption. It can give more yields with low management and encourage harvesting of about 5 to 6 metric tons per hectare instead of the one to two metric tons per hectare they used to get.
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Akeredolu pointed out that the result of a survey conducted showed that some communities have poor nutrition and that they are not eating right, prompting the FG to decide to start with the production, adding that if what is required is planted, then people will be able to eat a balanced diet.
“So as a way of assisting people, we are equipping the farmers with the necessary things they need for their farming business, such as good seed and fertilizer to boost the nutrients of the soil, and with good rain, we are hopeful that we will have an abundant harvest,” she said.
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The Program Manager, Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority (LSADA), at the program noted that the objective of the NPFS is to improve food security through livelihood enhancement.
She noted that one of the major challenges facing crop farmers has been the rising cost of inputs, mainly fertilizer and access to improved high-yielding and certified seeds, while expressing optimism that input given to farmers at no cost will go a long way in improving farmers productivity.
