The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has ranked Yobe as the most affordable state to live in Nigeria following a drop in its inflation and food inflation rates, attributed to the state government’s agricultural empowerment programme.
The NBS July monthly report indicated that the general inflation rate in Yobe dropped from 13.5 per cent in June to 11.43 per cent in July, while food inflation also declined from 17.9 per cent to 15.1 per cent within the same period.
According to the report, the decline was driven by massive agricultural interventions introduced by the state government, which attracted youths into farming, boosted food sufficiency and strengthened food security.
Gov. Mai Mala Buni had last year launched an agricultural empowerment programme that distributed machines, fertilizers, improved seeds and other farm inputs free to farmers across the state.
He subsequently flagged off the second phase of the programme at the beginning of the current farming season to support more farmers.
Farmers in the state told our correspondent that the interventions had increased productivity and enabled them to flood the markets with last year’s harvests while investing in the ongoing season.
They also linked the improvement in security in the state to the expansion of farming activities and food sufficiency.
