The Federal Government has launched Phase One of the Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme (FISP), a major initiative designed to boost food production and achieve national food security and sovereignty. The programme, anchored by the National Agriculture Development Fund (NADF), focuses on providing farmers with critical inputs, particularly fertilizers, at the right time to enhance productivity and stabilize food prices.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Ekiti State, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. “This is to actually honor the vision of our President Bola Tinubu, who believes we should be able to feed ourselves as a nation,” Abdullahi stated. He emphasized that the initiative targets different agricultural capacities across states to increase production of key commodities, ensuring Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in food production.
The minister noted that timely access to inputs is crucial because of the high cost of fertilizers. The distribution began in the Southwest region as an anchor and will extend to other states, with expectations of bumper harvests that will bring down food prices and make them affordable for all Nigerians.
NADF Executive Secretary Mohammed Ibrahim explained that FISP is an economic and social intervention programme providing fertilizers as grants to smallholder farmers. Under Phase One in the Southwest, the programme is supporting 20,160 smallholder farmers (5,040 per state in Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, and Lagos) with 80,640 bags of subsidized, branded, and traceable fertilizers clearly marked “NOT FOR SALE.” Beneficiaries are registered farmers cultivating less than 0.5 hectares, in collaboration with state governments and the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
Ibrahim highlighted three core objectives: stabilizing food prices through supply-side interventions, closing the yield gap for smallholder farmers, and creating conditions for broader national economic growth and transformation.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji, represented by Secretary to the State Government Prof. Habitat Adubiaro, commended President Tinubu’s commitment to treating agriculture as a viable business rather than mere subsistence. The governor praised the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security under Sen. Abubakar Kyari for fostering collaboration between national and sub-national governments.
The launch included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and formal handover of fertilizers to farmers. The initiative covers 25 states and the FCT in its first phase and is expected to drive industrialization, reduce poverty, and ensure sustainable food security across