Zulum pledges to subsidise irrigation fuel, farm inputs to boost food security, livelihoods
By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state has pledged to subsidize diesel, petrol, and farm inputs to boost food security and livelihoods of Internally Displaced Person (IDP) returnees from Niger Republic.
According to him, Damasak: the IDP returnees’ livelihoods are to be restored through the distribution and subsidization of fuel, and farm inputs, including solar-powered water pumps.
Zulum made the pledges on Tuesday in Damasak, while supervising the distribution of palliatives to vulnerable IDP returnees, including women and widows from Diffa province, Niger.
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He lamented that most of the returnees are recovering from the over a decade insurgency that claimed many lives and property in the state.
“The subsidization of fuel and farm inputs, allows me to key into President Tinubu’s agricultural agenda of achieving food sufficiency through enhanced agricultural activities in the insurgency affected border areas with Niger and Chad,” he said.
While addressing the IDP farmers, he said: “Today’s event was also to raise the living conditions of our people, particularly the ones that fled to Niger over insecurity in the border areas.
The Governor continued; “My administration will ensure that we provide the IDP returnees from Niger with basic needs of life,” adding that the government will also provide means of livelihood to the IDP refugees.
According to him, the IDP returnees’ livelihoods are to be achieved through distribution and subsidization of fuel, and farm inputs.
“In order to provide sustainable means of livelihood to our people, we are taking deliberate steps to enhance agricultural productivity and alleviate the economic burden on farmers in the Damasak region,” said Zulum.
Unveiling the subsidies on fuel and farm inputs, he disclosed: “For the farmers Damasak community, whose primary source of energy has been generators powered by fossil fuels will be subsidized by no less than 50 per cent.
“In overcoming challenges of dry-season farming, in the border communities, I will assist their farmers with subsidized agricultural inputs.”
He pledged that two filling stations will be designated in supplying diesel and petrol to farmers at subsidized rates.
He noted that the subsidies on fuel and farm inputs will create jobs among farmers and boost food security in the State.
Besides the subsidized inputs, Zulum said: “I’ll install drip and sprinkler irrigation facilities in the Kumadugu/River Basin to boost dry-seasoning farming.”
He said the border community is an agricultural hub targeted for the State’s agricultural rejuvenation.
Damasak was a stronghold of the insurgents, before it was liberated by the military in 2016.
This enabled the Zulum administration to reconstruct and resettle residents and cultivate vast farmlands to restore their livelihoods.
