The Federal Government, through the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), has launched an emergency seed intervention in Jigawa State to help farmers battered by prolonged dry spells and dwindling planting opportunities.
The intervention, launched under the Seeds for Renewed Hope Intervention Programme in Shiwarin, is designed to give thousands of smallholder farmers a fresh chance to salvage the planting season with specially selected fast-maturing crop varieties.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, said the programme would distribute 32 metric tonnes of cowpea seed, nine metric tonnes of groundnut seed and 8.35 metric tonnes of sesame seed to about 4,935 smallholder farming households across the state.
Kyari said the intervention was a direct response to the harsh realities confronting farmers following prolonged dry spells that disrupted planting activities.
According to him, the fast-maturing varieties were deliberately selected to enable affected farmers to make the most of the remaining rainfall and recover some of the time lost during the planting window.
“The fast-maturing varieties have been carefully selected to help farmers recover lost weeks and make productive use of the remaining rains,” the minister said.
He commended the NASC, under the leadership of its Director-General, Hon. Fatuhu Muhammad, for its role in protecting Nigeria’s seed system through certification, regulation and the fight against counterfeit seeds.
Kyari stressed that access to quality seeds remained critical to improving agricultural productivity and strengthening the country’s food security drive.
The intervention comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to shield farmers from climate-related disruptions and boost food production under its agricultural transformation agenda.
For thousands of Jigawa farmers who had watched valuable planting weeks slip away, the distribution of fast-maturing seeds could provide a crucial lifeline—and a renewed opportunity to put food on the table while supporting Nigeria’s broader battle against food insecurity.
