State governments across Nigeria have moved into the 2026 wet farming season with input distributions and fertiliser subsidies large enough to shift planting economics in several states, with Enugu running the largest free distribution in its history and northern states selling fertiliser at roughly half its cost.
Enugu: 63,000 Farmers, Free Inputs
Governor Peter Mbah flagged off the 2026 distribution of fertilisers and other farm inputs to 63,000 registered smallholder farmers on Tuesday, 21 July 2026, tying the programme to his administration's target of growing Enugu into a $30 billion economy with 40 percent of that growth coming from agriculture, the Enugu State Government said. Each beneficiary receives more than fertiliser. Mbah said that alongside a bag of fertiliser, "each farmer will get one bag of maize or rice, cassava cuttings, herbicide, and vegetable seeds such as tomatoes or pepper."
The scale-up has been rapid. Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation Patrick Ubru said the programme distributed over 12,000 bags of fertiliser, improved seeds and chemicals in 2024, rising to over 40,000 last year, with this year's figure "representing a 58 per cent increase from last year", according to Channels Television. Farmers across all 17 local government areas are receiving free improved rice, maize, tomato and pepper seeds, cassava stems, fertilisers and agrochemicals.
Bauchi: Fertiliser at Roughly Half Cost
The Bauchi State Government flagged off the 2026 wet farming season and subsidised input sales at Bununu in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, with Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed disclosing that although the production cost of a bag of fertiliser stands at about ₦38,000, the state has approved sale to farmers at ₦20,000 for the duration of the season, Tribune Online reported. That is a subsidy of roughly 47 percent against production cost. The governor directed the state agricultural supply company to ensure transparency and prevent diversion so that genuine farmers benefit.
Borno and Sokoto
In Borno, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum flagged off the 2026 wet season at Kwaya Kusar and announced the procurement of 200 truckloads of NPK fertiliser to be sold at 50 percent of prevailing market price, having doubled an original plan of 100 truckloads in response to farmer demand, The News Chronicle reported. He also directed local government councils, traditional rulers and the state agriculture ministry to complete the transfer of ward-allocated tractors into community ownership.
Sokoto has gone further on machinery. Governor Ahmed Aliyu inaugurated the distribution of 157,800 bags of free NPK and urea fertiliser worth ₦7.7 billion, equivalent to 263 truckloads, and disclosed that the state awarded a ₦22.1 billion contract for 250 Massey Ferguson MF375 tractors and implements, with about 90 percent of the equipment already supplied, according to AgroNigeria. The Bank of Agriculture has approved a 30 percent subsidy on farming equipment for Sokoto farmers, and the state procured 7,800 bags of improved millet, hybrid maize, sorghum, cowpea, beans and FARO 44 rice seed.
The Diversion Problem Is Openly Acknowledged
These programmes have a history of leakage that governors are now naming directly. Aliyu recalled that Sokoto's free fertiliser distribution was suspended after diversion by middlemen, prompting a switch to subsidised sales before free distribution was restored under improved monitoring, Peoples Gazette reported. The gap between what a state announces and what arrives at a farm gate is where these interventions usually succeed or fail.
Why Lagos Households Should Watch This
Input cost at planting sets the floor under harvest price. Fertiliser bought at ₦20,000 rather than ₦50,000 changes the arithmetic on every bag of maize and rice that eventually moves south. National Bureau of Statistics data put food inflation at 17.52 percent year on year in June 2026, with the sharpest state-level pressure in Kogi at 53.02 percent, Niger at 43.83 percent and Benue at 40.83 percent.
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks retail prices across fourteen Lagos markets. Grain harvested in Enugu, Bauchi, Borno and Sokoto this season will reach Mile 12 and Daleko months from now, and the verified price data will show whether this year's subsidies did any work on the way down the chain.
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