The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Farmers

  • Women,young farmers count blessings in CADP project in Cross River

    Women,young farmers count blessings in CADP project in Cross River

    Women and youths that were beneficiaries of the Commercial Agricutlture Development Progamme in Cross River State have expressed gratitude for the programme, which they said have changed their lives for the better.

    The women and youths empowerment programme, which was launched in 2009 and would wind up on May 31, 2017 this year, is driven by the World Bank and the Federal Government to empower women and youths in the area of agro-business in five states.

    In Cross River State 700 women and youths have benefitted from the programme, and were trained across he value chains of oil-palm, cocoa, rice, poultry and aqua-culture.

    The beneficiaries were divided into three batches. The first batch of 100 who were trained from August to September 2015. According to the Project Coordinator in the state, Mr Duckham Ama, the first batch who had concluded their training at the Songhai Farms in Itighidi in Abi local government area were mobilized with N2.5 million each.

    The first batch consisted of 46 women and 54 young men, while the second and third batches have 298 women and 302 young men.

    The second and third batches trained from November and December last year received a higher sum of N3 million. According to the Coordinator, the money was non-refundable, but there were measures to ensure that beneficiaries do not use it for purposes other than what it was meant for.

    Speaking at an interactive session between the media and beneficiaries of the project in Calabar, farmers who participated in the first batch described how the programme had changed their lives.

    Mr Okon Augustine Ekeng, who is into fish farming said, “I am grateful for the World Bank for helping us to implement this. Today I am very successful person. You can see here I have my fresh and dry fish here. It is of high quality and hygienically prepared catfish that is free of sand and cancer free. What we use in drying it is smoke free. I thank God for what he has done and also went the CADP staff that helped us stand on our feet to also help the 600 batch that has just started.

    “I have been able to employ two persons. I have a garden behind my fish farm, so the waste water goes there. Nothing is wasted.”

    Also, Mr Elemi Williams, who is into rice farming said, “It has been wonderful. It started like a learning experience. But now I am experienced. I have gained knowledge and that has brought me to a level where I can bring a physical product for you to see as my product, not someone else’s product. I am into the native rice, which is totally de-stoned and is 100 per cent chaff free. It is our native rice. The passion is there. I see my future in this business. I see my dreams interpreted through this business the drive to do more is there. My dealing with the organizers have been wonderful in the sense that I had a passion for what I came for and used that passion in dealing with the people who funded this project. My dealing has been very sincere with them. My advise to the younger ones who are coming into doing it is for them to be sincere with themselves because if they are sincere the benefit of that sincerity will come.”

    Mrs Okoma Bassey Edet, who is into oil-palm said, “we make our oil such that we remove the fatty acids and cholesterol to a very low level. With this programme, we see that it has helped the youths and women in terms of unemployment. I mean look at me now. I am making my own money. We are no longer sitting at home and just receiving from our husbands. We go out there to keep ourselves busy and reduce unemployment. For instance I employ two people for now and I am still believing God as the business keeps growing I will employ more. The business is improving.”

    Ama urged the second and third batches of beneficiaries to be committed to the programme so their lives can be better. He said they were committed to the success of the programme.

    Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof Anthony Eneji, was grateful for the programme and assured the state will do all it can to support it.

    The Special Adviser on Agriculture, Yvonne Idem, said the governor, being an entrepreneur him, would do all can to support entrepreneurs.

    She said the first batch had been fully implemented and were doing very well, and urged the second and third batches of beneficiaries to be serious as they were privileged to be the few chosen from so many.

    She said under the program 55.77km of roads had been constructed to enable farmers bring out their products, reduce travel time and cost of transportation.

    She urged beneficiaries to help build others.

  • Farmers urge FG to sustain fertilizer initiative

    Farmers urge FG to sustain fertilizer initiative

    Some farmers in Kaduna State have appealed to the Federal Government to sustain the “Presidential Fertilizer Initiative” which had crashed the prices of fertilizers across the country.

    The farmers made the appeal in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Zaria.

    Alhaji Saidi Haruna, a farmer in Makarfi Local Government Area, said that the newly-introduced initiative that had brought down the prices of fertilizers would enhance national food security.

    “If you can recall, by this time last year, a bag of NPK (fertilizer) was sold for between N8, 000 and N10, 000, depending on the area.

    “As I am talking to you now, fertilisers now sell for N5, 500 across Nigeria, regardless of the area; this has affected the prices of other products,” he said.

    Malam Maiada Karaukarau, a peasant farmer at Karaukarau village, urged the present administration to sustain the initiative to assist farmers in contributing their quota to national food security.

    “If we produce enough food more than we can consume, it will go a long way in generating income for farmers and boost government revenue,” he noted.

    A Zaria-based farmer, Malam Ibrahim Mohammed, called on farmers to support government policies and programmes to enable it achieve its goal on food sufficiency.

  • Nasarawa Govt. to purchase over 240,000 bags of fertilizers

    Nasarawa Govt. to purchase over 240,000 bags of fertilizers

    Nasarawa State Government has concluded arrangements to purchase more than 240,000 bags of assorted fertilizers for distribution to farmers at subsidized rate.

    Mr Jameel Zakari, Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lafia.

    Zakari said that this would ensure that genuine farmers access adequate amount of the commodity as the rains set in, adding that government had signed an agreement with suppliers through the governors’ forum for the product.

    He pointed out that that the over 400 truckloads of the product expected from the agreement would last beyond the coming rainy season.

    Zakari pointed out that given the commitment of the state government to make fertilizer available early enough, it had worked out the necessary modalities for the prompt supply of the commodity.

    “We would soon begin to take delivery of the fertilizer in the state for distribution to farmers taking into cognizance of the fact that the earlier farmers got it, the more beneficial it would be towards improving crop yield,” he said.

    He explained that there was already a template for the equitable distribution of the commodity to genuine farmers to allay the fear of diversion of the commodity.

    The commissioner said that Gov. Tanko Al-Makura had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese firm, during his recent visit to China, for the establishment of four fertilizer-blending plants in the state.

    “As we speak, the Chinese partners are already in the state to put finishing touches to the MoU and start work on the plants,’’ he said.

    Zakari said that the persistent cases of scarcity of fertilizer would be over in the state when the plants start production.

  • Irrigation farmers loose N30m crops as dam dries up in Katsina

    Irrigation farmers loose N30m crops as dam dries up in Katsina

    Hundreds of irrigation farmers using water from Musawa dam in Katsina State are counting their losses following sudden drying up of the dam.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that crops at various stages of maturity have wilted, forcing some of the farmers to commence early harvest to salvage what they could of the crops.

    Alhaji Idris Abdullahi, the Chairman of Musawa Irrigation Farmers Association, told NAN on Monday that more than 150 farmers were affected.

    Abdullahi put the estimated losses incurred by the farmers to around N30 million, and loss of jobs to about 1,000 farm hands.

    He said about 150 hectares of tomato, potato, wheat, maize, onion and other vegetables were damaged.

    The chairman said that the dam, constructed 60 years ago was only dredged once, and called on the Katsina State Government to intervene.

    He said that the government should dredge the dam before the rains set in, and support farmers affected to cushion their losses.

    The chairman described the dam as a major source of employment to people in the area, and said it should be salvaged to save the people from penury.

    He however said that the Katsina Agricultural and Rural Development Authority had pledged to drill wash bores to assist the irrigation farmers.

  • New method of multiplying plantain for farmers

    New method of multiplying plantain for farmers

    To farmers cultivating plantain on a large scale, getting suckers to buy is difficult because of their prohibitive cost. But farmers are now exploring a cheaper technique of multiplying suckers for planting, reports DANIEL ESSIET .

    Chief Executive, Sendulus Consulting, Clifford Eborgu, is a young agro-entrepreneur  in Oyo State.

    To him, agro-business is lucrative, especially plantain farming segment. With assured market, higher returns and low-risk factors, plantain farming holds the ace in agro-business.

    But despite this, getting good suckers can be a challenge for starters and young farmers because of their rising cost which, of course, depends on their grade. For a farmer cultivating plantain on a large scale, this could be pretty expensive, just as it has been a challenge accessing high-yielding and disease-resistant plantlets. Many a farmer still rely on old low-producing suckers.

    However, a method for rapid multiplication of plantain suckers, which promise to end the problems faced in getting sufficient planting material has emerged. Known as macro propagation, the innovative method   provides an affordable, simple and relatively rapid technique for multiplication of plantain  for  small and medium scale farmers.

    It  has the potential to overcome challenges faced by farmers,  such as increased unavailability of seedlings at farm level with the assurance of affordability, quality, true to type and choice of cultivable seedlings to farmers, which allow a single sucker to have up to 15 plantlets.

    The method, according to Eborgu, gives better yields in addition to quick maturity than the normal suckers.

    With the method, one can induce a sucker to sprout  to between 8-15 new ones. The size of the sucker determines the number of plantlets that will sprout.

    After propagation, it takes at most three weeks to see the plantlets shoot from the sucker and three months to have the suckers ready for planting.

    Eborgu said farmers, who want to make money producing suckers need propagators. According to him, propagators are used for sprouting of new seedlings and hardening of the subsequent sprouts.

    He explained that propagators, or seedbeds, can be made from wood, plastic or concrete cement constructed at ground level or above ground. Their sizes, according to him, can vary and depend on the production objectives. He added that a greenhouse should be built around the propagator.

    An agribusiness consultant, John Bosco, also based in Oyo, was trained by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). He has a large  plantain plantation   that  has stood out to be more productive,  giving him much money. He is growing tissue culture plantains  that  are earning more than what traditional varieties fetch.

    One acre approximately can hold between 450 and 540 plantlets, depending on the spacing. Key among the many benefits of the plantain being produced through this method is that plantlets go through a process, which results in starter material that is clean and free from pest and diseases.

    The suckers are obtained from a particular mother plant  to  enable traceability if resulting ‘sword suckers’ are diseased. According to him, macro propagation is the method of sucker multiplication in the field. It is one method of plantain sucker multiplication that produces relatively clean and healthy plantain suckers between two and four months.

    According to him, farmers need to build simple propagators that can be constructed using fairly cheap materials, such as bamboo and polythene sheets. They can also use iron rods and cast a concrete floor.  To operate the system, he  said  farmers are required to fill the propagators with steam-sterilized fine sawdust.

    Experts said steam sterilisation of sawdust can be performed, using an oil drum. After applying the sawdust into the drum,  Bosco advised  that the sawdust must be covered with old potato bags.

    “Heat is applied under the drum, using firewood and steam from the water to sterilise the sawdust. Steam is passed through this construction for one hour,” Bosco said.

    To him, production cost for a small scale macro-propagation facility, including a propagator, shade, initial suckers, substrates and plant care requirement, nursery bags and labour cost, should be around N300,000. One sucker should produce 10 plantlets, while 300 suckers will produce  3000 plantlets. According to Bosco, one sucker can produce between 10 and 50 plantlets, depending on the variety of plantain and the experience of the farmer.

    He explained that the productivity and lifespan of plantain can be affected by pest and disease pressures. According to him, macro-propagation, a simple technology, enhances plantain production through rapid multiplication and timely delivery of sufficient high quality seedlings. This technique, he added, can greatly boost food security and income generation among small scale farmers if properly adopted for ensuring sustainability.  He added that it can be carried out under the shed or in the open field.

  • APC chieftain unfolds empowerment for Ekiti farmers

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ekiti State, Prince Tayo Adebiyi, has identified investment in agriculture as the way out of hunger and unemployment.

    Adebiyi spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, while inaugurating a committee to give empowerment to farmers in the state through his foundation, PAT Royal Foundation.

    He explained that he has concluded consultations with relevant stakeholders on the beneficiaries of the empowerment.

    Adebiyi said the scheme was aimed at enhancing farmers’ productivity and boosting food security.

    A director at PAT Royal Foundation, Otunba Adeleye Akintola, said the scheme was timely and hailed Adebiyi for the initiative.

     

  • Kaduna: CADP distributes input worth N811m to farmers

    The Kaduna State Commercial Agricultural Development Projects (CADP) has disbursed N811.6 million to 3,401 farmers’ groups to finance their agribusinesses.

    Aliyu Saidu, Communication Officer of the CADP disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Kaduna.

    Saidu explained that 2,960 male and 441 female farmers received the amount in commodity and farm inputs under the CADP Commodity Interest Groups (CIG) programme.

    Farmers are expected to use the farm inputs to enhance their value-chain in Maize, fruits and diary production in the state.

    NAN reports that the CADP is a World Bank assisted programme, implemented in five pilot states of the federation.

    The programme began in 2010 with 150 million U.S. dollar funding from the World Bank with seven years implementation timeline.

    The bank introduced the programme to expose farmers to modern skills in agribusinesses.

    It was implemented through value-chain scheme in different crops, livestock and aquaculture.

    It also provided infrastructure and services to ease farmers’ challenges of evacuating produce from their farms.

    NAN further reports that Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Osun and Lagos states participated in the pilot programme according to their areas of comparative advantage.

    The programme also focused on skills acquisition, agribusiness development plans as well as technology-based farming methods.

    It aimed to expose farmers to application of modern technologies and skills in production processing and market of commodities that could compete in the global market.

    The programme was implemented in Kaduna state across five value-chain items including crops, livestock, Diary, Aqua/fishery and fruits production.

    Saidu said 85km paved and unpaved access roads were also provided to some 13 local government areas, where the value-chain programmes were executed.

    “CADP also established milk collection centres in three major grazing reserves in Kachia, Birnin Gwari and Kubau local areas in the state.

    “It equally provided skills to 1,176 women and youth groups in diary, Aqua/Fishery, poultry, maize and fruits production and processing,“ he said.

    According him, 76 youths and women groups benefitted in the first batch of training in the CADP five value-chain programmes in the state in 2014.

    He said N3 million funding had been provided to each of the beneficiaries, who had established poultry, Fish farms and fruit processing businesses.

    The training took place at the College of Agriculture and the National Animal Production Research Institute, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

    He said that some 1,100 women and youth groups also benefitted from poultry, fisheries and diary Value-chain training during the period of the programme.

    According to him, 250 investment plans had so far been approved by the World Bank, while procurement process for the finance is expected to commence next week.

    Saidu noted that, another batch of 200 beneficiaries under Diary development within and outside the grazing reserves would soon receive support after counterpart funding from the state government.

    The official said the State Government had already established three Maize Aggregation Centres that would serve as one-stop market for high-grade, germ-free maize.

    Saidu said that the pilot programme, which was successful, had brought lots of value addition the production, processing and marketing of the crops livestock and fruits in the state.

    “The programme had empowered thousands of women and youths with agribusiness skills.

    “Also, Under the Demonstration and technology adoption, the CADP project introduced the Artificial animal insemination (AI) and Afla-safe production of maize,“ Saidu said.

    The communication officer said Maize farmers are now linked to better market collaboration with their counterparts in other states.

    “Sunchin Farms in Enugu and Lagos State Poultry Farmers’ Association now patronise maize from Kaduna farmers for their feed production because of its quality.

    To him, the programme had exposed farmers to global best practices in terms of maintaining farm record books and the establishment of farmers’ cooperative groups for easy financing by commercial banks.

  • Financing farmers through warehouse receipts

    Financing farmers through warehouse receipts

     Experts are pushing for use of  Warehouse Receipt Financing(WRS) to improve farmers’ access to finance and lower trade costs, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    For Innocent Mokidi,  Chief Executive of  BROTE Urban Vegetable Farm and Processing Limited in Abuja, agribusiness can be profitable for youths with the right capital and skills.

    However, like other young farmers, Mokidi faces some hurdles in trying to earn a living from agriculture. One of his challenges is crop failure.

    Crop failure is caused by heavy or unseasonal rain, deterioration of stored food grains due to poor warehousing, and crash in prices.  He finds it difficult to address these problems because of funding.

    Pelumi Aribisala, a farmer in Osun State, sometimes faces the challenge of lack of facilities to store his produce. He is forced, just like his colleagues to sell his surplus produce during the harvest season when farm gate prices are low. These farmers cannot tackle this problem because of the difficulty in obtaining funds to address inadequate storage facilities.

    Regrettably, produce buyers take advantage of them by offering very low prices for the  produce  and sell them during the most profitable market conditions.

    However, farmers, such as Mokidi, are unattractive customers to banks, especially in getting credits from them. This because of the unpredictable nature of their farming business. Banks require collateral that they cannot provide and  farm produce cannot be used as safe collateral to obtain loans. This situation has demoralised many a farmers, who are constantly thinking of abandoning  farming  altogether.

    To Kebbi State Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Chairman, Alhaji Sahabi Muhammad, such a challenge could be addressed by the warehouse receipt system.

    He said farmers would deliver their goods to a warehouse, which in turn issues them a receipt.  They can use the receipt as collateral to access loans from banks.

    Under Warehouse Receipt System (WRS), according to Muhammad, small-scale farmers are able to store their produce in warehouses during harvest when prices are relatively low and later release them to the market at better prices during the periods of low supply.

     

     Warehouse Receipt financing

    Warehouse receipt financing is a form of secured lending, where the bank advances funds against inventory  that are being stored in a warehouse and that have been assigned to the lender. A warehouse receipt is a document provided by the warehouse operator, acknowledging the receipt of produce or goods in the stated quality, quantity and other parameters. It also states the name of the depositor of the produce and the location of the warehouse.

     

    How warehouse receipt works

    After harvesting, a farmer like Mokodi  would deliver his produce to a warehouse that has been approved by a bank. The warehouse then issues a receipt vouching the quantity and quality of produce being stored. The bank then takes the receipt and provides financing to the farmer, typically up to 70 per cent of the produces’ market value – against it. The receipt acts as collateral for the bank, giving it the right to take ownership of the stored produce if the loan is not repaid.

    For Mokidi, the warehouse receipts system is essential.  With the credit he would get, thanks to warehouse receipts, he could buy certified seeds and fertiliser in time for planting season.

    The warehouse receipts system allows him to better organise his work and earn more money to take care of his  family.  In addition, it reduces the pressure on him to sell immediately after harvest when prices are low.

    While the commodity is in the warehouse, he can monitor the prices and sell when it is favorable, often resulting in a 35-40 per cent increase in price. It also allows sales to continue over time from one harvest to another, thus stabilising prices.

     

    Banks and Warehouse Receipts

    The bank that  accept  the warehouse receipt can discounted for up to 70 per cent of the value of the commodity. The bank then recovers the advance plus the interest when the commodity is sold. The farmer can then use the money to finance the next planting or other projects.

     

    Stakeholders’ reactions

    For the receipts to work effectively, Muhammad maintained  that  it  is essential to ensure infrastructure, grading and collateral management systems, which guarantee the quality and quantity of stored commodities are in place. This will provide comfort to farmers  to store their produce, as well as to banks to accept warehouse receipts as secure collateral to finance farmers.

    Muhammad stressed the need for the government to establish a mechanism to oversee and promote  the operations of the system, the development of standardised and certified storage facilities of commodities and promotion of structured financing for commodities.

    According to him, the absence of  certified  warehouses in critical  farm locations have seen middlemen fill the vacuum at the expense of grain farmers’ fortune.

    He  called  for a system  that  will  promote physical storage infrastructure development, license warehouses, warehouse keepers and inspectors and issue negotiable and non-negotiable receipts to promote the system across various commodities.

    Adebayo noted that rural road infrastructure was very poor, and contributed to high transport costs in many rural communities.

    He observed that the sector was suffering for  inadequate  storage capacity to make the system work. Within the sector, there are a few   silos and warehouses  across  the farm  areas  in the rural areas with total capacity of over 900,000 tonnes. In rural areas also,  most grain storage facilities are in a state of disrepair and substantial investment would be required for remedial works.

    According  to him, grain storage activities are concentrated in urban locations, where millers and processors want to assure regular supply of raw materials. He  added that warehouses needed to be located in rural areas where  farmers  could be  as close as possible to major buyers.

    Pushing for warehouse receipt, Project Director, Cassava Adding to Africa (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo said Nigeria needed  to  establish a workable warehouse receipt system because  it has helped to change  the fortunes of farmers in Ghana.

    According to him, warehouse receipt finance involves storing the grain in a warehouse that issues a receipt as proof of ownership. The receipt, he explained, becomes a transferable instrument that would be used by farmers to sell the grain or use it as collateral in a bank for short-term loans.

    Using a warehouse receipt, he noted, enables farmers to store their products in a warehouse and defer the sale of their goods until the lean season when prices traditionally rise, allowing them to earn more.

    An effective warehouse receipts system, he added, would expand farmers marketing options.

    To Programme Co-ordinator, Farmers’ Development Union (FADU), Mr Victor Olowe, agriculture is a game changer for the country if the sector receives the desired level of commitment by both the private and public sectors.

    He called on the government to institute structures that will help farmers  access market channels.

  • FAO-supported farmers hope for good harvest

    FAO-supported farmers hope for good harvest

    Farmers supported by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Northeast are looking forward to good harvest, going by the quantity and quality of crops they have gathered so far from their fields.

    A monitoring and evaluation officer at Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Programme (CBARDP), the FAO implementing partner in Borno State, Salisu Bukar Mohammed Ngulde, said: “Most of the crops are grown by women who make up 40 per cent of the project”.

    They have already started harvesting their crops from the dry season interventions and have food for their families for some time to come while they sell part of their produce to make some money. They are now able to get income, save feeding costs and have surplus at home to take care of other basic needs for a few months. The FAO is collaborating with the governments of Belgium, Ireland and Japan to support these farmers.

    He described the intervention as very successful, hoping that more funds would be made available to take care of the larger number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, female-headed households, youths and the host community, who are in dire need of support.

    Abba Mursi, one of the beneficiaries of the interventions, recounted how he fled his community in Bama after an attack two and half years ago and then took refuge in Gongulong Bulamari village in the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital in Jere Local Government Area, some 75  kilometres away from Bama. “I fled from Bama on foot and left everything behind, everything,” he said.

    Mursi’s desire of returning to productive life was nurtured by the FAO. His carrot plot is doing well, less than three months after he received seedlings and fertilizers from the FAO. “I got assistance of assorted seeds and fertilizer from the FAO. I started farming with the seeds when they were distributed in January 2017. It is from the farm that I have harvested these fresh carrots you see. The fertilizer and seed helped me to carry out farming in the dry season. My group is also thankful for the borehole provided by the FAO.” He is grateful to the Gongulong Bulamari people for accepting him and giving him access to a farmland where he hopes to eke out a living.

    Mele Muktar has a similar story. Originally from Koshabe, in Mafa Local Government Area, over 50 kilometers away, he settled in Gongulong about two years ago.

    He has only been on the FAO-supported farm for one month. His seedling beds are doing well. He hopes to transfer them to the main site in days to come and is already looking to a good harvest. “What I received was a complete package from the FAO. We get food support from a number of organisations, but this agricultural assistance means everything to me,” he said.

    As part of its dry season interventions in support to IDPs, returnees and vulnerable host families in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, the FAO provided farmers with capacity-building and skills, vegetable seeds, fertilizers and irrigation support for the dry season.

    Mursi and Muktar are some of the farmers, who embraced the project with great enthusiasm and less than two months into the programme, the enthusiasm has started paying off. The farmers, mostly youths and women, are already looking to a good harvest. The early signs of a potentially good harvest are evident by the crisps and fresh carrots, huge cabbages and other vegetables being gathered from the fields.

    Vegetable seedlings covering carrot, okra, amaranths, sorrel/roselle, onions, tomatoes, pepper, watermelon and cabbage were given to each farmer in a master kit for food security, nutrition and livelihoods as well as incomes.

    “The FAO with partners’ support will provide the greatly desired livelihoods to IDPs, returnees and host communities where men, and especially women and youth, will be provided with food security, nutrition and livelihoods for both the dry and rainy seasons in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe on a sustainable basis to recovery from many years of hardship.”

  • FG to procure 200 rice mills for farmers

    FG to procure 200 rice mills for farmers

    The federal government will introduce 200 rice milling machines to farmers across the nation, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbe has declared.
    This, he said, would boost production of rice and ensure high quality of rice in the country.
    Audu spoke to newsmen during the FG/IFAD Assisted Value Chain Development Programme Learning Route tagged ‘Maximise dry season production and innovative tools for value chain’ at the Kanko Rice Production Cluster in Wushishi Local Government of Niger state.
    The minister, who was represented by his Senior Adviser International Donor Partners, Appeh Auta, expressed confidence Nigeria will soon achieve self-sufficiency in food production with ongoing efforts by agencies.
    National Coordinator International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Dr. Ameh Onoja, said N6 billion has been earmarked for rice production.
    He added Nigeria has scaled up its rice production capacity to over 400 million metric tonnes through collective efforts of the federal government, IFAD/ Value Chain Development Programme and CBN Anchor Borrowers Scheme.
    Onoja said this was achieved through the combined effort of 12 rice producing states, currently making Nigeria the second world largest producer of rice.
    If the states embrace dry season farming, importation of the commodity would be a thing of the past, he assured.

    He commended Niger state Government for paying the sum of N63.5m as part of its counter funding for the IFAD programme.
    The Niger State IFAD Programme Coordinator, Dr. Mathew Ahmad said the purpose of the six states coming together under the IFAD programme was to allow for cross fertilisation of ideas to enhance rice production in the country.
    He explained 300 hectares of rice had been cultivated by rice farmers in Kanko.
    Last year, Ahmad stated Niger produced 15, 000 metric tonnes of paddy rice with production expected to increase to 25, 000 tonnes in 2017.