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ABUJA – Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, launched Nigerian Farmers Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), an innovative initiative, designed to tackle the issue of low productivity of farmers and the high cost of production through indiscriminate fertilizer application and the waste associated with it.
Tinubu, who stated this at the launch of the NFSHS in Abuja, said the new Scheme is part of the flagship of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.
Tinubu, represented by Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Mustapha Saliu, said the Scheme would promote tailored fertilizer recommendations based on specific crops and locations, thereby helping farmers to achieve maximum yields and income and thus sustainable food security.
In his welcome address, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, underscored the importance of soil testing before planting of crops for enhanced productivity.
According to him, “Farming begins with the soil, it is the quiet partner in every harvest, the hidden force behind every good crop.
“But for many years, our soils have been working without rest, giving and giving, while we hardly checked how they were doing.
“Many farmers across Nigeria are doing their best, but they don’t always know what their soil really needs.That must change.
“The Nigerian Farmers Soil Health Scheme is here to help farmers understand their soil better, what nutrients it has, what it lacks, and how to treat it right.
“It takes away the guesswork and gives farmers simple, useful advice to grow more, spend less on inputs, and take care of the land.”
Abdullahi noted that the NFSHS represents a pioneering effort by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, focused on enhancing soil health and fertility through scientific soil assessments and data-driven fertiliser recommendations.
According to him, “This initiative, therefore fully aligns with Mr. President’s vision of food sovereignty and the urgency to revolutionise Nigeria’s agricultural sector and guarantee food security.
“The Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme stands as a transformative initiative for the nation’s food security.”
Speaking further, he explained that the broader objectives of the scheme include, improving soil health, increasing crop yields and supporting climate-resilient agriculture.
He revealed that some of the deliverables from NFSHS are the establishment of 774 soil testing laboratories throughout all the Local Government Areas in Nigeria; the provision of personalised soil health cards for farmers, which include details on soil fertility, pH levels, and fertilizer recommendations; as well as the development of a digital platform (NiSIS) aimed at consolidating soil data to facilitate informed decision-making.
The minister further disclosed that the new Scheme would improve fertilizer use, increase farmers’ income, enhance food productivity, reduce production costs incurred by farmers, create jobs and ensure environmental sustainability.
To realise the objectives of the Scheme and maximise the associated benefits, Abdullahi said the implementation strategies adopted a comprehensive Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) approach, ensuring inclusivity from the national to sub-national levels.
He stated that Scheme implementation committees are structured in three stages namely: National Executive Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation and monitoring of the scheme; State and Local Government Committees, which would assist in the rollout of the scheme and engage with farmers as well as collaborations with development partners, research institutions, and farmer organisations.
He thanked development partners such as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL, World Bank), Soil Values, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), among others for their tremendous support and several significant milestones already recorded.
The minister further disclosed that on a pilot scale, that the Scheme has carried out soil assessment in 11 States across the six geo-political zones, adding that “This will be upscaled to other States in phases.”
In his goodwill message, National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, commended the initiative.
Ibrahim said Nigeria is endowed with arable land, adding that with the implementation of the Scheme, Nigeria would become the food basket in Africa.
