The Federal Government in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, have distributed farming inputs to 83 farmers’ groups in Nasarawa State, in a bid to amend the high cost of living in Nigeria.
Speaking during the distribution, the State Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme, Eunice Adgidzi, said that the aim was to increase food productivity by boosting the capacities of farmers during the rainy season.
Adgizi noted that the farm inputs which included 92 irrigation pumps; 40 solar-powered knapsack sprayers; eight tricycles; four power tillers; a set of improved stainless steel rice steam parboiler and eight garri processing equipment such as grinding machine, communal fryer, hydraulic presser and cassava chipping machine, were distributed.
The state cordinator, who expressed delight at the distribution exercise explained that the beneficiaries were selected from the benefiting Local Government Areas of Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Nasarawa and Karu.
“This intervention is in furtherance of our commitment to strengthening rice and cassava value chains as well as improving the livelihoods of smallholder rice and cassava farmers on a sustainable basis.
“For us in the value chain development programme, we see agriculture as business, that is why we always do everything within our power to assist farmers so that they can also contribute meaningfully to the growth of our dear state and Nigeria at large.”
On his part, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, Umar Abubakar Dan’akano, called on the beneficiaries to utilize the inputs to achieve the best results, and commended the FG and IFAD for initiating the programme.
Dan’akano, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Agric and Engineering Services, Solomon Abundaga, assured of the state government’s commitment to continue to give the needed support to the FG and IFAD to ensure the success of the programme in the state.
“Let me urge our small holder farmers to fully deploy the knowledge they have acquired through the VCDP over the years to surmount the challenges of unstable weather conditions, floods, pest infestation, birds’ invasion among others”, he added.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, the representative of farmers’ groups, Margret Ogah, thanked FG and IFAD for supporting them with the farming inputs, and promised to use the items to boost production of cassava and rice in the state.
