The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) Abubakar Kyari, on Monday, said N309bn was used to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country.

Abubakar Kyari, at the ministerial briefing in Abuja, said 6,750 tons of wheat were imported from Mexico and 5,500 seeds procured and sourced locally.

According to Kyari, the move followed the President’s directive, to step up a plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops

Speaking on the development, Kyari said, “In the last year, in the area of food and nutrition security, we launched the dry season farming with cultivation of 118,657 hectares of wheat in 15 states.

“We launched that all-year round farming in November in Jigawa State which has the largest share of the 118,000 hectares with 40,000 allocated to it.

“I am happy to announce that at the end of the season, Jigawa had produced 55,000 thereby exceeding the allocated 40,000 by 15,000 hectares.

“We also supported 107,429 wheat farmers with inputs resulting in an output of 474,628 metric tons of wheat that was given, a 50 per cent subsidy of all inputs, fertilizer, agrochemicals as herbicides and insecticides and also seeds, wheat seeds, free of charge”.

Kyari also said, that to tackle food inflation, the ministry commenced the distribution of 60,432mt of improved seeds, 887,255mt of seedlings, 138 value kits, 501,726 litres of agrochemicals, 62,328.5mt of inorganic fertilisers, 1,000kg fungicide, and 33,200 equipment to farmers across different value chains to enhance production.