Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has announced a major reduction in fertilizer price for farmers across the state, revealing that his administration has subsidised the product by 51 percent to support food production and ease farming costs.
The governor made the announcement during the official flag-off of the 2026 Fertilizer and Other Farm Inputs Sales and Distribution Exercise held at the Benue Fertilizer Blending Plant, Industrial Layout, Makurdi.
Under the new arrangement, fertilizer will now be sold to farmers at ₦28,000 per bag, while the state government covers the remaining cost as part of efforts to support smallholder farmers and strengthen agricultural productivity across Benue State.
Governor Alia described the programme as more than just a yearly intervention, saying the initiative is part of a wider agricultural transformation agenda focused on food security, land aggregation, and rural economic development.
According to him, the government is determined to sustain Benue’s reputation as the “Food Basket of the Nation” through increased investment in modern farming systems and improved access to quality farm inputs.
“This is not merely a seasonal exercise,” the governor said. “It is a deliberate policy direction aimed at boosting food security, expanding cultivated farmlands through land aggregation, and driving rural economic prosperity across the state.”
He explained that the administration is expanding support for farmers through the provision of improved seedlings, herbicides, quality fertilizer, and other agricultural support systems needed to increase output and commercialise farming activities.
Governor Alia also disclosed that the 2026 farm input distribution programme will cover all 23 local government areas of the state, with stronger transparency measures introduced to prevent diversion and ensure fair access for genuine farmers.
He stated that the government has increased the quantity of fertilizer and related farm inputs available for distribution in response to the growing number of farmers and the expansion of cultivated farmlands under its land aggregation programme.
The governor further noted that the state’s broader agricultural plan includes rural road development for easier evacuation of farm produce, irrigation expansion for dry season farming, agro-processing and value addition, as well as training programmes for farmers, youths, and women involved in agribusiness.
He urged farmers across the state to take advantage of the programme while warning officials involved in the distribution process against any form of malpractice or diversion.
Governor Alia stressed that transparency, fairness, and accountability must guide the exercise to ensure the subsidy reaches the intended beneficiaries.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Benjamin Ashaver, said the state government had ended the era of substandard fertilizer distribution in Benue State.
Ashaver warned that strict monitoring and enforcement measures had already been introduced to tackle bypass, diversion, and other forms of malpractice within the distribution chain.
The latest fertilizer subsidy programme comes as many farmers across Nigeria continue to battle rising production costs, high input prices, and food inflation, with state governments increasingly introducing intervention measures to support local food production.
