No fewer than 121,000 smallholder farmers have benefitted from the Federal Government, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supported Value Chain Development programme for rice and cassava in Nigeria, Fatima Aliyu, National Programme Coordinator, FG/IFAD-VCDP, has said during a supervision visit to Nasarawa on Thursday.
Ms Aliyu said the programme, which aims to increase rural household incomes and food security, was being implemented in 63 local government areas across nine states in Nigeria, with a focus on the rice and cassava value chain.
She said 135,000 smallholder farmers were expected to be supported in the country before the programme winds up and listed the states to include Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Ogun, Niger, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Enugu.
The national programme coordinator explained that the project encompassed the production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava on a sustainable basis.
Ms Aliyu noted that the programme’s impact in Nasarawa State was visible and encouraging, given the testimonies of the benefitting farmer groups. According to her, the Rice Innovation Centre in the Ashangwa community in Lafia LGA and its impact on the people speak to the essence of the VCDP intervention.
Ms Aliyu explained that the interventions were demand-driven, with the farmer groups requesting what they needed to improve their businesses.
The beneficiaries were therefore called on to produce, process, and market the rice and cassava value chain even at the expiration of the programme.