Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State revealed on Tuesday a subsidy on fertilisers for farmers in the state, particularly those engaged in subsistence farming.
The new subsidised price is set at a lower rate of N19,000, aiming to alleviate the impacts of fuel subsidy removal and its consequential economic effects on living standards.
This development is also in line with the advisory from the National Economic Council (NEC), which urged states to design independent responses to the subsidy removal, and also come up with strategies to help boost food production in the State.
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The Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, announced the new measure on behalf of Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
He said that all State owned fertiliser selling points/agents across the 11 local government areas are to immediately comply with this directive, adding that the sales and distribution committee should strictly sell to farmers only as a palliative.
Recall that Governor Inuwa had on June 19, 2023 flagged off the sales of fertiliser and other farm inputs in Gombe State with 166 Truck-loads of the commodity at the subsidised rate of N19000 per bag as against the market price of N26,000.
He had also inaugurated a committee to ensure seamless sales and distribution of the fertiliser in the 114 wards across the 11 Local Government Areas of the State to ensure that the commodity reached the common farmers.
The Governor also recently set up a committee which went round all the LGA’s and distributed food stuff to the most vulnerable among the residents – the bottom poor – as his personal support to bring succour to them, while the government puts machinery in motion to embark on a full scale palliative distribution.
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In the area of public transport, Governor Inuwa had earlier directed the state- owned transport company, the Gombe Line, to put measures in place to ensure that residents are able to travel without much financial burden.
The company has continued to maintain a functional fleet providing subsidised and effective transport services to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal, and also ensure comfort and safety of passengers as contained in a statement by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Director-General( Press Affairs), Government House, Gombe.
Tribune