Southern Kaduna: Political Aide Donates Fertilizer, Cash To Farmers, Monarchs

The Senior Special Adviser, Political Matters in the office of the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Hon Wilson Iliya, has donated fertilizer worth millions of naira to assist poor farmers improve on agricultural production.  

The farmers were also given cash and financial assistance extended to traditional rulers across the 12 wards of the Jema’a Local Government Area of the State.

Iliya who is an insurance expert said the donations were made to assist local farmers cope with the challenges of rising cost of agricultural inputs, especially fertilizer which is witnessing a sharp increase in retail price.

According to him, “I donated fertilizer because of three main reasons, it constitute around 70-80% of input cost in subsistence agriculture and due to the depletion of soil fertility as a result of climate change, dependency on fertilizer to raise soil fertility level in order to increase crop production has become necessary.

“Besides, most subsistence farmers are extremely poor and lack the financial wherewithal to purchase fertilizer. If I don’t help, some farmers will see their hope of meeting their food demand dash out which, will further plunge them down the poverty ladder.

“This gesture is to attempt to close the demand gap in agricultural production and to cushion the effect risk by absent of fertilizer in crop production because poor farmers will be increasingly vulnerable if such is not provided,” he said.

The political aide urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the fertilizer on their farmlands and not to sell them. He called on wealthy individuals to always see the need to help the weak and most vulnerable people in the society.

Source: Gurara Accord