By Samuel Luka
The Bauchi State Government on Tuesday flagged off the 2026 wet farming season and released N625 million in starter grants to 1,250 trained farmers in a push to boost food production and strengthen food security.
Speaking in Bununu town of Tafawa Balewa local government area on Tuesday, Governor Bala Mohammed said the intervention targets post-harvest losses, higher farm incomes, and stronger rural economies.
He said climate change had forced a shift to modern techniques, improved inputs, and better extension services.
“Agriculture today is knowledge-driven. Success depends not only on the size of one’s farm but also on the ability to apply innovation, technology, and good agronomic practices,” Mohammed told farmers.
He recalled that in 2021, his administration sponsored 1,000 youths and women from the state’s 20 LGAs for training at the International Skill Acquisition Centre of CSS Farms.
He said that the programme covered crop production, livestock, aquaculture, poultry, greenhouse technology, agribusiness management, value addition, and entrepreneurship. The government covered tuition, transport, accommodation, meals, and other costs.
On graduation, each participant received a starter pack valued at about N450,000.
“Today, we are proud of the remarkable outcomes of that initiative. Many beneficiaries have established poultry, fishery, and crop production enterprises, while others have gone into processing and value addition,” the governor said. “Several have become employers and role models in their communities, and the programme has helped reduce youth unemployment.”
Building on that, another 1,250 youths and women were trained in 2025. The government has now begun paying each of them a N500,000 starter grant, totaling N625 million.
“All beneficiaries must collect their money through the Commissioner of Agriculture. It is not cash. It is a cheque you will collect and go without being molested. Nobody should leave this place at night without collecting his or her cheque,” Mohammed directed.
He described the support as an investment, not charity. “This intervention is an investment in productivity, enterprise, employment generation, and the future prosperity of our dear state,” he said, urging beneficiaries to use the funds to build sustainable businesses.
The governor warned against diversion. “When you receive your N500,000, please do not disappear and suddenly remember that you need to organize an elaborate wedding. Or do not go and add another wife because the government gave you a starter pack,” he cautioned.
He directed the Ministry of Agriculture to verify that only training graduates are paid and to monitor how the grants are used.
To cut production costs, Mohammed also announced the sale of subsidized NPK fertilizer at N20,000 per bag, against an actual cost of N38,000, assuring that adequate quantities of fertilizer have already been made available for the 2026 farming season.
He listed other interventions since 2019 to include the Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme, BASDP, strengthening of BASAC, revival of BAPCO, expansion of mechanization, funding for extension services, rural roads, irrigation promotion, and more grants for youth and women in agribusiness.
“These are not isolated projects. They are components of our integrated vision to transform agriculture from subsistence to commercial production, from poverty to prosperity,” he said.
Addressing farmers from the 20 LGAs, Mohammed said: “You are the true drivers of our economy. Every meal in our homes, every market supplied with foodstuff, and every agro-processing enterprise that thrives depends first on your labor and sacrifice.”
He added that Bauchi is blessed with vast arable land, a favorable climate, and hardworking people, and that the government's role is to create an enabling environment.
The event was attended by traditional rulers, government officials, development partners, and hundreds of farmers from across the state.
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