The Benue State Authorities has introduced plans to spice up meals manufacturing by means of an intensified farming marketing campaign in 2025.
The federal government acknowledged that collaboration with the presidency would supply farmers with entry to important assets, enabling the state to construct on latest successes in combating meals insecurity.
The State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, disclosed this to State Home correspondents throughout a closed-door assembly with Vice President Kashim Shettima on the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday night.
“This 12 months, we’re returning to the farms 100 per cent. Benue doesn’t want to speak about meals insecurity in any respect. As a substitute, we ought to be supporting the President to make sure that all of the states grappling with meals insecurity are strongly supported by Benue,” Alia mentioned.
The Governor emphasised that, as an agrarian state, Benue has intensified efforts to encourage its residents to return to farming.
He recalled that, in the course of the marketing campaign interval, Vice President Shettima, then the working mate to President Bola Tinubu, had promised to offer Benue with tractors and farm inputs. In accordance with Alia, this promise has been fulfilled, enabling the state to stay as much as its popularity because the “meals basket of the nation.”
“The President has been supporting us considerably, as has the Vice President. Sometimes, I present them with updates on our farming progress. With the help we’ve obtained, we’re making exceptional strides. I’m assured we’ll obtain 100 per cent farm engagement within the state this season,” he affirmed.
On safety, the Governor highlighted a latest initiative during which the state authorities offered 100 Toyota vans to numerous safety companies, together with native vigilante teams and mainstream safety forces.
Benue State, often called the “meals basket of the nation,” has skilled a major decline in agricultural output lately because of persistent farmer-herder conflicts. These clashes pressured many farmers to desert their farms, leading to diminished cultivation of staple crops and a pointy decline in yields.
Alia famous that residents have been urged to stay vigilant and help the first safety equipment. This method, he defined, has led to a noticeable return of peace throughout the state, contributing to a thriving farming season and culminating in what he described as a “bumper harvest” in 2024.
“Three and a half weeks in the past, we launched a programme to help our safety apparatuses. We offered 100 Toyota vans to safety teams and mainstream companies. Our individuals at residence should stay alert and help our major safety personnel. Relative peace is returning to Benue, and we’re fairly pleased about this. Farming actions have additionally elevated considerably since final 12 months.
“Many individuals returned to their farms, and we recorded a bumper harvest, one thing we hadn’t seen in years. Some farmers are nonetheless harvesting, and we goal to surpass these achievements this season. Even when it comes to insecurity, it’s step by step declining,” he mentioned.
Though the Governor acknowledged that eliminating insecurity solely is unlikely, he asserted that Benue has witnessed a marked discount in main violence.
“Insecurity by no means goes away solely, so there should be occasional skirmishes. Nonetheless, we not often hear of large-scale deaths or disturbances anymore. That’s the place we’re,” he added.
