Benue State has launched its 2026 fertiliser and farm inputs distribution programme, with Governor Hyacinth Alia framing it as part of a broader push to reposition agriculture as the foundation of the state's economy. Voice of Nigeria reported that the flag-off reaffirmed the administration's focus on food security, higher productivity and rural prosperity in a state long known as the Food Basket of the Nation.
The Subsidy and the Price Split
The headline figure is the cost to farmers. Voice of Nigeria reported that fertiliser under the programme will be sold at a subsidised rate of ₦28,000 per bag, with the Benue State Government covering the remaining ₦28,000 per bag. That structure puts the effective market cost near ₦56,000 a bag and means the state is absorbing half of it, a 50% subsidy at a time when input costs are among the biggest pressures on smallholder farmers.
What Else Is Being Distributed
The 2026 intervention reaches beyond fertiliser. Voice of Nigeria reported that the exercise spans all 23 local government areas and adds improved seedlings, herbicides and other essential inputs, with the state saying it has tightened distribution to deliver directly to genuine farmers. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Benjamin Ashaver, said the government had procured fertilisers, improved seeds, agro-chemicals and knapsack sprayers through a process meant to guard against diversion, despite rising international fertiliser prices driven by global market conditions.
A Cashless System and New Capacity
Representing Star Fertiliser and Chemicals Limited, Julius Atorough praised the timing of the distribution at the onset of the rains and the introduction of a cashless fertiliser payment system aimed at transparency. Voice of Nigeria reported that the company plans a new automated fertiliser blending line and a limestone granulating plant in Benue to expand local production capacity.
Why a Northern Food Basket Matters in Lagos
Benue supplies yam, rice, soya, sesame and a long list of staples that move into southern markets, so the cost of producing them feeds into what Lagos households eventually pay. Input subsidies do not show up on a market stall the week they are announced, since their effect arrives a harvest later, if at all, and only if the inputs reach real farms. The pressure they target is real. Leadership reported that the All Farmers Association of Nigeria has flagged soaring fertiliser, seed and agrochemical costs as the major obstacle of the 2026 planting season. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks the staples that originate in states like Benue and will watch whether this season's input support eventually eases prices in Lagos markets.