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Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, Thursday joined the international community in commemorating World Food Day 2025, reaffirming his administration’s strong commitment to achieving food security, empowering farmers, and promoting sustainable agricultural growth across the state. This year’s global celebration, themed “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” marks the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and highlights the importance of working together to end hunger, malnutrition, and ensure a sustainable food system for future generations.
Governor Radda said the theme perfectly aligns with his administration’s “Building Your Future” agenda, which places agriculture at the heart of food security, employment creation, and rural development. “Our government believes that a food-secure Katsina is a peaceful and prosperous Katsina. We are working hand in hand with farmers, cooperatives, and partners to build a future where no household goes hungry,” he said.
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Since assuming office in May 2023, Governor Radda’s administration has introduced several impactful agricultural and food security programmes. Among the first was the Dry Season Agricultural Intervention Scheme, which provided improved seedlings, fertilizers, and pesticides to farmers across all 34 local government areas. This was followed by the supply of solar-powered irrigation pumps and modern tools to promote year-round farming and water efficiency.
In October 2023, the state government launched a Fertilizer Support Programme, ensuring farmers across the state had access to essential inputs at affordable rates. By December, thousands of dry-season farmers had received complete farm input packages including seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals, and irrigation equipment under a comprehensive empowerment drive.
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To improve food access and social protection, Mr Radda also approved emergency grain and food distribution to vulnerable families across Katsina State to ease the effects of inflation and scarcity. In 2024, the administration deepened its efforts by establishing the Katsina Food Security Committee, launching the Ramadan Feeding Programme that provided daily meals to millions of fasting Muslims, and introducing targeted nutrition support programmes for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Jibia, Batsari, and Danmusa.
By September 2024, the governor ordered the distribution of thousands of bags of maize and rice across all local governments to cushion the impact of subsidy removal. Later in November, the Community and Youth Farming Programme was introduced to support young people and women farmers with irrigation tools, sprayers, and improved seeds.
In 2025, the government expanded its food and nutrition initiatives. It established the Rumbun Sauki Consumer Shops to make food items available at subsidized rates and launched another round of Ramadan Feeding, reaching IDP camps, mosques, and hospitals across the state. In May 2025, President Tinubu was in Katsina where he commissioned the Katsina Agricultural Mechanisation Centres, with sub-centres across the 34 local governments distributing hundreds of tractors, power tillers, planters, and modern implements to enhance productivity across the farming sector.
As part of his continued commitment to agricultural transformation, Governor Radda recently presented ₦1 million starter packs as seed capital to 102 graduate trainees of the Songhai Comprehensive Centre, Makera Dutsinma. The graduates selected from all 34 local government areas underwent six months of intensive practical training in poultry, fishery, crop production, and livestock management.
The Governor announced that the next batch will include 361 participants, one from each ward of the state, ensuring full grassroots participation. The initiative, he said, symbolizes his vision of moving youths “from the streets to the farms, from unemployment to enterprise, and from dependency to dignity.” To encourage community involvement, the Food-for-Work Initiative was launched in August 2025, providing food support to residents participating in community farming and environmental projects.
In September, the Nutrition Scale-Up Programme was introduced in partnership with UNICEF and the Federal Government’s ANRiN Project, providing fortified foods and supplements to pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children across all 34 local government areas. Additionally, the state partnered with the World Bank through the SOLID Programme to provide food and livelihood support to internally displaced persons while strengthening local agricultural recovery.
Governor Radda emphasised that food security under his leadership is not just about feeding people but about empowering them to become productive contributors to the economy. “We are building a Katsina where farmers are equipped, women are empowered, and communities are resilient. Our work is guided by the belief that food security is the foundation of human dignity and sustainable development,” he stated.
The state is engaging 722 extension workers under the co-opting component to support farmers in adopting new agricultural innovations. Next week, Katsina State will launch and commission the Katsina Sustainable Platform for Agriculture (KASPA). a digital system that hosts an e-extension platform where farmers can easily ask questions and receive quick responses without using mobile data, right from their farms. Under his leadership, agriculture in Katsina has become a driver of inclusion, growth, and stability. From input support to mechanization, from women’s empowerment to nutrition initiatives, every programme reflects the government’s holistic approach to achieving the FAO’s four pillars better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.
As the world marks World Food Day 2025, Katsina State stands out as a model of purposeful leadership and community-driven action in advancing global food goals. “On this World Food Day, we renew our commitment to a hunger-free Katsina. Together, hand in hand, we will build better foods, a better environment, and a better future for all,” Governor Radda affirmed.
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