The National Agricultural Development Fund has launched the distribution of 80,640 fully subsidized bags of fertilizer to 20,160 smallholder farmers across the South South.

Executive Secretary Mohammed Ibrahim said the initiative, under the Farm Input Support Program, was designed to deliver fertilizer directly to verified farmers at the right time to lift yields, improve market access and strengthen food security. He spoke at the zonal launch in Calabar.

Represented by Investment Department head Olalekan Alabi, Ibrahim said the program was targeted support for genuine farmers cultivating priority crops rather than a blanket exercise, and reflected the government’s commitment under the Renewed Hope agenda to cut production costs and raise output.

He said the wider program would reach 128,930 smallholders nationwide with 515,720 bags, and that Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Edo would each receive 20,160 bags for 5,040 farmers, with every beneficiary getting four bags. All fertilizer, he said, was locally made, fully subsidized, traceable and marked “Not for Sale” to prevent diversion. Cross River Governor Bassey Otu, represented by Assembly Speaker Elvert Ayambem, commended the federal government for prioritizing smallholders and pledged transparency in distribution, while the agriculture ministry’s state coordinator said the intervention built on a program launched in 2025 and aligned with the drive for food sovereignty