By; Mohammed Kawu, Bauchi
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi has said that his administration has consistently treated agriculture as a strategic instrument for food and security, employment creation, poverty reduction, and rural development.
To this end, the state government has strengthened farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and continue to support fertilizer availability and subsidy tied to trade, as it also strengthened the Bauchi State Agricultural Supply Company (BASAC), and took deliberate steps to revive the fertilizer blending company in the state.
Declaring opened in Bauchi the 2026 World Agricultural Day, the Governor said that his government has also addressed inherited liabilities and actively supported the resumption of fertilizer production, stating that during the 2026 wet season, fertilizer was made available to farmers at subsidized price of 20,000 naira per bag with arrangements covering 16 local government areas.
He added, “We also fast-tracked agricultural mechanization, because modern agriculture cannot continue to depend primarily on manual labor. Our administration procured 40 tractors in 2024 and another 40 in 2025, which were distributed across 20 local government areas to improve farmers’ access to mechanized services”.
The Governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Aminu Hammayo Magatakarda at the occasion stated that government has also revitalized Bauchi State Agricultural Development Program (BSADP).
Other government’s efforts in the sector, he explained, included the strengthening of extension services, farmers support, and agricultural infrastructure, saying, over 20,000 farmers and 50 soil testing kits, modernized extension delivery, and promote smart farming practices were provided.
These, he pointed out, are in addition to promoting the the participation of young people and women in agriculture through training and agricultural enterprise development, and the recent support to 1,250 trainees and women under the agricultural empowerment program with the provision of N500,000 as starter grants, among others.
“Our purpose is simple: training for skills enterprise, enterprise creating income, and income for students to livelihoods. We also continue to strengthen partnerships with relevant government institutions and development partners. Under the National Agricultural Development Fund Farm Inputs Support Programme, for example, 2,040 state farmers were registered to an allocation of approximately 8,000 bags of NPK fertilizer”.
Senator Bala Mohammed recalled that through collaboration with the Federal Government’s Rural Access and Agricultural Markets Improvement project, RAMP, the state is set for creating rural road networks and agro-road systems to connect smallholders to markets, reducing post-harvest losses, and improve transportation of farm inputs.
According to him, the interventions represent major steps to achieving the state’s charter, and on behalf of the government and the good people of Bauchi state, extended his gratitude to the Government of Canada and Global Affairs Canada for their financial solidarity and belief in the potential of our citizens.
The Governor similarly commended MEDA and the implementation partner – Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited, for their professional technical expertise, on-the-ground execution, and structured approach to economic development.
He described this year’s celebration as unique, reflecting on not just crop yields and inputs of life, but also to chart a permanent path forward towards structural prosperity for the agrarian communities, and okayed the strategic partnership with Sahel Consulting Agriculture Nutrition Limited, alongside MEA, backed by the visionary support of the government of Canada through the Global Affairs Canada.
Governor Bala further recalled that the state government supported the implementation of rice project, built on the successes of Nigeria Wheat project, also implemented by MEDA and Global Affairs Canada, and supported 294 women and youth-run smallholder businesses to create wealth by promoting value chain development in rice, peanuts, and soybean processors.
The government also promoted the establishment of 590 savings groups in seven local government areas of the state, and from the successes of the implementation of the Nigeria Wheat project, it adopted the model to implement, especially in promoting the Village Savings and Loan Associations as a scheme, as well as funding provision.
“My administration believes that good farming does not stop at distributing seeds and fertilizer. It extends to ensure that when a farmer harvests, there is a reliable, lucrative, accessible market waiting for their output. This is where the Market Systems Development Framework of the Rice project becomes a game changer”, Governor Bala said
He also stated that it was through the state collaboration, Sahel Consulting and MEDA, that Bauchi was moving away from short-term fixes, fixing the whole market system itself by strengthening the critical value chains of rice, maize, groundnuts, and soybeans across the state, improving access to tailored financial solutions, modern offtake mechanisms, and processing facilities, integrating smallholder cooperatives directly into processing and international agro-aligned industries, thereby eliminating exploitative middlemen.
“We cannot talk about an inclusive market system without placing our women and youth at the center. Global statistics show that Nigeria, 2026, marks the International Year of the Women Farmer. In alignment with this global recognition, the 3 million Canadian dollar Rice initiative targets the creation of 10,000 decent agricultural jobs across Northern Nigeria and the major rice-producing regions of Jigawa and Bauchi state”
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