Zulum plans subsidised petrol for farmers to boost food production

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has announced plans to provide petrol for farmers in Damasak at subsidised rates to enhance food security among residents. Most of the farmers are recovering from the state’s decade-long insurgency.

Zulum disclosed the plan on Tuesday while addressing newsmen after supervising the distribution of palliatives to vulnerable women and widows.

“For the farmers in this community, the primary energy source has been generators powered by fossil fuels. To alleviate this challenge, I will be assisting momentarily.

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“The government will identify two fueling stations and supply petrol and subsidies to reduce the cost for the farmers. This will enable them to purchase petrol at a lower price, making it more affordable for them to irrigate their farmlands.”

“I am here today to see the living conditions of our people, especially those who have recently returned from the Niger Republic due to the ongoing conflict. My administration will do everything possible to ensure that we provide for their necessities.

“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,” Zulum said.

In addition to providing subsidised petrol, Zulum also promised to distribute solar water-pumping generating sets, seedlings, fertiliser, and other agricultural inputs to the farmers.

“Borno State government will also procure solar water pumps, and in addition to this, we will install drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation facilities in this town,” Zulum said.

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Damasak, in northern Borno, is an agricultural hub and one of the pilot sites for Borno’s agricultural rejuvenation. It was once a stronghold of the insurgents before Nigerian security forces liberated it, which enabled the Zulum-led administration to reconstruct and resettle residents and cultivate vast farmlands.