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Nasarawa: FG,IFAD distribute farm inputs to cassava, rice farmers

From Beauty John, Lafia 


The Federal Government in partnership with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has commenced distribution of farm inputs to 1, 050 Cassava and Rice farmers in Nasarawa State.


The items distributed include 15, 050 kgs of improved rice seeds, 4, 650 bundles of cassava cuttings, 788 liters of selective and non-selective herbicides, 78,800kg of NPK fertilizer, and 30,100 kg of urea fertilizer.


Speaking at the distribution exercise, in Lafia, on Monday, the State Programme Coordinator, VCDP, Mrs Eunice Adgidzi, said the farmers were drawn from 64 farmers’ organisations from Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Nasarawa and Karu Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
She explained that distribution of the inputs to the farmers for the 2021 wet season was under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP).


The coordinator said that the VCDP programme started in July 2020 with the mandate of improving the production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava in Nasarawa State.


She added that this is the second time they were distributing inputs to farmers in the state since the commencement of the be programme in July 2020.


“In December 2020, we distributed similar inputs to nine farmers organisations in Lafia and Doma LGAs to support dry season farming.
“That supports yielded mind-blowing result following massive yield from the dry season farmers in the benefiting LGAs,” the coordinator added.


She further explained that Afakpo Multipurpose Cooporative Society, one of the group that benefited from there inputs in 2020 harvested 7.5 metric tons of rice per hectare above the international standard of 4.5 metric tons.


Mrs Adigizi therefore, enjoined the beneficiaries and other stakeholders to join hands with the government to ensure that Nasarawa State surpasses global standard in the production of rice and cassava.


In his remark, the State Commissioner of Agriculture and Water Resources, Prof. Alanana Otaki, commended FG and IFAD for the programme which was aimed at ensuring food sufficiency.


He added that the state had keyed into the FG agricultural programmes and invested a lot in the sector to meet the global standard in agriculture for self-sufficiency in food production.


Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Gini Yohana , a farmer, commended the federal government and IFAD for the gesture
Yohana, whom noted that it would go a long way in boosting food production in the state, however, appealed for the extension of the programme to the other LGAs in the state for more farmers to benefit.


He also solicited for the support of the state governor in supporting the farmers organisations with tractors and other farm inputs.

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