Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has announced a significant subsidy on petrol for farmers in communities affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
The state government will provide petrol at N600 per litre, significantly lower than the current market price of N1,000 to N1,200 in Maiduguri.
A statement on Saturday by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on New media stated that the governor made the announcement on Friday during the distribution of farm inputs to over 5,000 displaced farmers in Bama town.
Speaking at the event, Zulum said the subsidy aims to ease the financial burden on farmers struggling with high fuel costs for irrigation.
“One of the major challenges for farming communities is the rising cost of fuel,” Zulum said. “To address this, the government will procure and sell petrol at a subsidised rate of N600 per litre for irrigation farmers this season.”
The distribution event also saw the handover of farming materials, including 2,000 bags of NPK fertiliser, 1,000 water pumps, 620 gasoline pumps, 380 solar water pumps, and 1,000 litres of pesticides. Other supplies included 1,000 sprayers, 800 rolls of 2-inch flexible hoses, and seeds.
Zulum expressed gratitude to the federal government for supporting his administration’s efforts to rebuild and resettle communities affected by the insurgency. The Commissioner for Agriculture and the Brigade Commander have been tasked with ensuring the swift delivery of petrol and farming resources to the farmers.