Nkanu West Council Chairman, Hon. John Chukwuma Ogbodo, has flagged off the distribution of agricultural inputs to farmers across the Local Government Area, strengthening support for food production and rural livelihoods.
The Executive Chairman of Nkanu West Local Government Area, Hon. John Chukwuma Ogbodo, has flagged off the distribution of agricultural inputs to farmers across the council area as part of efforts to boost food production, improve farm productivity and strengthen rural livelihoods.
The intervention is part of the Enugu State Government’s 2026 agricultural support programme under the administration of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, which targets registered smallholder farmers across the state with free farm inputs.
Governor Mbah had in July flagged off the statewide distribution of agricultural inputs to about 63,000 registered smallholder farmers across Enugu’s 17 local government areas. The programme includes fertilisers, agrochemicals, improved rice, maize, tomato and pepper seeds, among other inputs.
Speaking during the flag-off in Nkanu West, Ogbodo commended Governor Mbah for sustaining interventions aimed at improving agricultural productivity and supporting farmers at the grassroots.
He said making essential farm inputs available at the right time would help reduce farmers’ production costs, improve yields and encourage greater participation in agriculture.
The items being distributed include fertilisers, improved tomato seeds, maize and rice seeds, herbicides, urea and other agricultural materials required by farmers during the current planting season.
Ogbodo said the intervention was particularly important as government continues to pursue food security, rural economic development and improved household incomes through agriculture.
He noted that agriculture remained a critical sector for creating employment, increasing food production and strengthening the local economy, stressing that farmers required sustained institutional support to maximise their potential.
The council chairman assured farmers in Nkanu West that his administration would continue to support initiatives capable of improving agricultural production and enhancing the economic well-being of residents.
The intervention also complements existing agricultural initiatives in Nkanu West. The council’s 2026 development programme includes the development of 200 hectares of land for Smart Farms in Amurri, Akpugo Ward 1 and Akpugo Ward 2, alongside the distribution of fertilisers and other agro-inputs to farmers.
At the state level, the 2026 agricultural input programme represents an expansion of the Mbah administration’s previous interventions. According to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Dr. Patrick Ubru, more than 12,000 bags of fertiliser and other inputs were distributed in 2024, increasing to over 40,000 in 2025, before rising to more than 63,000 bags in 2026.
The state government has said the wider agricultural programme is designed not only to improve food production but also to move farmers from subsistence agriculture towards commercial farming and strengthen agricultural value chains.
Mbah has also directed stakeholders, including local government chairmen and community leaders, to ensure that the inputs reach the intended beneficiaries, with the government warning against the resale of the subsidised materials.
For Nkanu West, the distribution marks another step in the council’s efforts to ensure that state-supported agricultural interventions translate into tangible benefits for farmers and communities at the grassroots.
Ogbodo said the council would continue to collaborate with the state government to ensure that programmes designed to empower farmers, improve food security and create economic opportunities reach residents across Nkanu West.
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