The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AGRA

  • AGRA, Nestlé, TechnoServe unveil $1m climate-smart agric project

    AGRA, Nestlé, TechnoServe unveil $1m climate-smart agric project

    In a bold step towards building a climate-resilient agricultural sector, AGRA, Nestlé Nigeria, and TechnoServe have launched the Strengthening Farmers’ and SMEs’ Resilience through Climate Smart Grain Production and Accessing the Structured Markets (StreFaS) initiative in Nigeria.

    StreFaS is a three-year initiative, funded by AGRA and Nestlé, that will run from June 2024 to October 2027.

    The programme  aims to support 25,000 smallholder farmers and eight aggregators across Kaduna and Nasarawa States, promoting sustainable production of maize, soybean, rice, and sorghum.

    It focuses on integrating regenerative agriculture into every step of the value chain, with particular emphasis on empowering youth and women.

    StreFaS will help improve soil health, lower greenhouse gas emissions, increase biodiversity, and strengthen economic resilience.

    Furthermore, the program connects smallholder farmers to formal markets, including Nestlé’s supply chain, enabling them to receive premium prices for climate-smart produce.

    The launch event, which was held in Zaria, Kaduna State, brought together high-level representatives from the government, development partners, private-sector stakeholders, and members of the media.

    The event featured keynote speeches from implementing partners, a case study from a climate-smart farmer, and a powerful project overview underscoring the initiative’s role in transforming Nigeria’s grain value chains.

    READ ALSO; Making NELFUND work

    In her welcome address, Mrs. Adesuwa Akinboro, Country Director of TechnoServe Nigeria, described the STREFAS initiative as a transformative step for Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

    “This project represents a bold commitment to supporting smallholder farmers and agribusinesses with the tools, knowledge, and market access they need to thrive in the face of climate change.

    “STREFAS is not just about boosting yields—it’s about regenerating our soils, restoring dignity to farming, and creating a more inclusive and sustainable future for communities across Kaduna and Nasarawa States,” she said.

    “We are proud to co-lead this initiative that puts farmers first — not just by introducing new practices, but by rebuilding the very ecosystems that sustain farming — core to AGRA’s approach to sustainable and resilient food systems transformation,” said Dr. Rufus Idris, AGRA’s Country Director for Nigeria.

    Speaking on Nestlé’s commitment, Mr. Wassim Elhusseini, Chief Executive Officer  of Nestlé Nigeria, added: “At Nestlé, we believe that good food starts with high-quality ingredients and the well-being of the people who produce them.

    Our partnership in this initiative underscores our commitment to sustainable sourcing and decarbonizing our value chain. Globally, we aim to source at least 50 percent  of our key ingredients from farmers practising regenerative agriculture by 2030.

    “With an investment of over $1,000,000 in this project over the next three years, we aim to contribute towards establishing regenerative agriculture as the standard in the food industry, addressing both environmental and social priorities holistically.”

    Speaking at the event, the Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, Kaduna State,  Murtala Muhammad Dabo stated “This launch marks a significant milestone in our journey towards a more sustainable agricultural future. I commend TechnoServe and its partners for their dedication to promoting climate-smart agriculture practices in Kaduna State.

    “Let us continue to work together to empower farmers, improve food security, and build a climate-resilient agricultural sector. I wish you all the best in this endeavour.”

    On the sidelines of the launch, MAGGI celebrated the Soya Bean farmers who were part of the regenerative agriculture pilot project.

    One of the farmers, Engineer Lawan Abdul, shared a compelling testimonial, saying; “Since I started adopting the strategies we were taught in this project, my yields have increased by 100 percent . This was very surprising and encouraging for me. I am very happy with the outcome and thank the project partners and MAGGI for bringing this opportunity to us.”

    The StreFaS initiative is aligned with AGRA’s 3.0 Country Strategy, Nestlé’s 2030 Climate resilience sourcing goals, and TechnoServe’s proven expertise in building market-driven solutions for rural prosperity.

    By connecting smallholder farmers to better tools, markets, and capital, StreFaS  will scale regeneration in ways that are profitable and empowering.

    As implementation continues, the program will deepen collaboration with government, private sector, and civil society partners to sustain scalable change across Nigeria’s grain value chain.

  • AGRA commits $30 million to support Nigerian farmers

    AGRA commits $30 million to support Nigerian farmers

    The Alliance for Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA) has set aside $30 million to support rural farmers in the country.

    AGRA Country Team Leader and Programme Officer, Dr Kehinde Makinde, disclosed this at a validation workshop, organized by the international non-governmental organization in partnership with Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), yesterday in Abuja.

    He said beyond the financial commitment, AGRA is working strategically with other partners to lift 30 million smallholder farmers from poverty within four years in Nigeria and other African countries.

    He stated that the strategy to realize this milestone will include a strong partnership with the Federal Government as well as building capacity of major stakeholders.

    Makinde disclosed that the organization had completed plans to commence the pilot project in Niger and Kaduna States with a specific focus on maize, rice and cassava as part of their interventions to achieve the milestone.

    “In Nigeria, our business plan has committed us to spend $30 million for agriculture in the next four years. At the local level, we are working on agricultural value chains so that they can become more efficient and are able to deliver more income for farmers. In Nigeria, we are looking at rice, maize and cassava. We have selected two states where we will roll out our interventions. These are Kaduna and Niger States. From there we will expand,” Makinde said.

    He unveiled plans by AGRA to provide grants to the private sector involved in agribusiness and agro-allied activities, stressing that the meeting was a to validate stakeholders input on seed.

    “For AGRA, we are working to lift 30 million small other farmers across Africa from poverty. We are looking to double their income. This is critical for us because we are working across in 11 countries in Africa to ensure they achieve agricultural transformation. This is to ensure Africa is able to feed itself.

    “We are working with partners such as agro-dealers, input suppliers even the governments at the federal levels to develop the agriculture sector. In order to ensure proper coordination agriculture will be treated as a business rather than a programme.

    “We have supported public institutions and worked with the private sectors. So we thought if we can work with the private sectors, we will have all the outputs we want but not the transformation we aspired.

    “Thus, the government should take the lead. So we want to better support government to get the appropriate leadership to develop the sector. This country engagement has become critical.

    “There are catalytic interventions across the value-chains that will enable us to facilitate more income for farmers,” he added.

    In his remarks, Director General, Micro Reforms for African Agribusiness (MIRA) Nigeria Project, Dr Tony Bello identified fertilizer, seeds and their supply chain management as a key factor in developing the agriculture sector.

    MIRA Programme Manager, Joseph Rusike, said the group is currently working in five countries in Africa including, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

    He said from the participating nations, Nigeria has been most progressive considering its commitment to really reposition the sector.

    Rusike stressed its strong partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

  • AGRA, NABG partners on certified seeds distribution

    The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in partnership with the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) have begun moves to ensure efficient process in the distribution of fertilizers and certified seeds to rural farmers.
    Chief Executive Officer, African Center for Shared Development Capacity Building, Prof Olu Ajakaiye at an event, held yesterday in Abuja said policy advocacy efforts are ongoing to reach millions of smallholder farmers with improved, consistent and affordable agricultural inputs.
    Ajakaiye, a consultant to AGRA said the event was organised to provide technical analysis of the economic impact of policy and regulatory reforms for agri-inputs and services in the country.
    He said: “The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRA) is investing in streamlined processes to align public-private investments in the production and supply of certified seeds of improved varieties and hybrids. The investment covers policy and regulatory reforms in the importation, manufacturing, distribution and quality control of fertilizers to improve crop production and productivity.”
    According to him, AGRA is working in partnership with the organized private sector including the Seed Association of Nigeria (SEEDAN) and the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) to develop micro policy advocacy efforts to reach local farmers across the nation.
    The African Center is helping to review and propose options in updating and enactment of the revised Seed Act to drive mandatory seed certification of breeders and foundation seeds.
    “The era of fake seeds must be put to a complete halt. We bring over 150 years of cumulative experience to bear in providing economic impact analysis,” Ajakaiye added.
    In his remarks, National Coordinator of MIRA-Nigeria, Dr. Tony Bello said the organization has resolved to support in terms of adding value to policy advocacy, through economic impact analysis to critical stakeholders including farmers, producers, dealers and suppliers of seeds and fertilizer.
    President of the NABG, Sani Dangote called for measures that will drive competitions in price of agriculture inputs.
    Dangote said, “There is no money available for government to continue with the National Agriculture Growth Enhancement Support Scheme as we know it. Our farmers need guaranteed markets and price stability for their produce to be competitive against cheaper agricultural imports. The processors demand for consistent supply of raw materials to help create jobs and diversification of the economy.”
    Earlier, NABG Vice President, Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere stated that the new policies in the sector are models meant to create seamless opportunity for win-win outcomes to public and private sector investments in the agribusiness space.

  • Agra Innovate holds exhibition

    A group Afrocet will hold its yearly Agra Innovate exhibition on Tuesday, November 24 at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    According to Afrocet’sManaging  DirectorBryston Pearson, 80 exhibitors are being expected at the three-day event. He also said a delegation was being expected from the United Kingdom.

    Speakers expected include Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sonny Echocho; Vice Chairman, Dangote Group AlhajiSanniDangote; Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Prof DanbalaDanju; and RajaselerRajavelu, Director (Agro), Allied Atlantic Distilleries.

  • AGRA votes $2.6m to fight poverty, hunger in West Africa

    The fight against hunger and poverty in West Africa has received a big boost with the training of new plant breeders to help deal with challenges faced by  small-scale farmers.

    Thirty  students from Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have been selected to benefit from the programme, jointly launched by Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and  the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

    They would be awarded the Improved Master of Science (MSc) In Cultivar Development for Africa (IMCDA) degree at the end of their two-year training.

    The Programme Officer , AGRA, Prof Rufaro Madakadze, said the objective is to increase the availability of a new set of plant breeders, who would work to lift farmers out of poverty.

    The AGRA is providing US$2.67 million to fund the programme.

    The Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, Prof. William Otoo Ellis,  said it would improve the capacity of the university to train industry- ready plant breeders to produce pest, disease and drought-resistant seeds and hybrid seeds.

    They would work more efficiently in both public and private sectors to increase crop yield and incomes of farmers.

    Ellis said they would achieve this through the use of modern breeding technologies, data management, emphasis on experimental learning and acquisition of soft skills.

    The Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) of the University, Prof. Richard Akromah, said it would assure the region of food security.

  • $6.5b annual support for agric coming

    To secure more funding for agribusiness, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and banks are implementing fresh measures aimed at empowering farmers financially and providing favourable fiscal policies for their operations.

    The regulator said an investment of $6.5 billion per annum was needed to take agribusiness to the desired growth level , contrary to annual fund supply of $1.5 billion.

    The apex bank had granted zero tariffs for the importation of agricultural machinery and equipment. The bank said it took the action to create a robust agricultural sector and provide an enabling environment for investment.

    CBN Director, Development Finance Department, Paul Eluhaiwe, said banks were working with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and other key stakeholders to develop an innovative financing mechanism, tagged Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).

    The apex bank Director said the scheme is expected to provide farmers with affordable financial products, while reducing the risk of loans to farmers under other financing programmes offered by institutions.

    The initiative will build capacities of banks to expand lending to agriculture, deploy risk sharing instruments to lower risks of lending and develop a bank rating scheme to assess banks based on their lending to the agricultural sector. It is expected that the initiative will help unlock access to bank finance, critical for stimulating agric lending and increasing food and crop production in the country.

    Besides, the N200 Billion Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) was established in March 2009 by the CBN in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) to fast track the development of commercial agriculture in the country. The applicable interest rate under the Scheme has been retained at nine per cent even as the fund has continued to be disbursed to eligible applicants through the deposit money banks.

    The banking watchdog admitted that the future of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is clouded with several uncertainties that include increasing resource scarcity, heightened risks from climate change, higher energy prices, demand for bio-fuels and doubts about the speed of technical progress.

    Head Agricultural Banking, Stanbic IBTC, Jacques Taylor, said in an interview in Lagos that access to agricultural input, market linkages, technical support services as well as access to financial services are vital to reviving the nation’s ailing agriculture sector. According to him, value chain financing will ensure the flow of financing within the agricultural sector, across all value chain actors, thereby getting agricultural products to the markets.

    He said Standard Bank and Stanbic IBTC are driven by the conviction that opportunities exist to provide an end-to-endbanking solution for agriculture in which the banks can leverage and cross-sell a full suite of products and services, from traditional commercial banking and lending products to crop and weather insurance products.