Speaking at the distribution exercise in Lafia, the state capital, on Tuesday, the state coordinator of the FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme, Eunice Adgidzi, said the gesture was also aimed at boosting the capacities of farmers to enable them to cultivate enough food for residents of the state during the rainy season.
She mentioned the farm inputs to include 92 irrigation pumps; 40 solar-powered knapsack sprayers, eight tricycles; four power tillers, a set of improved stainless steel rice steam parboilers and eight garri processing equipment including grinding machine, communal fryer, hydraulic presser and cassava chipping machine,
She said, “I am delighted to be at this distribution exercise of farm inputs to 83 farmer groups in Nasarawa State. The beneficiaries were selected from the benefiting Local Government Areas of Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Nasarawa and Karu, with a view to ensuring that residents of the state have enough food to eat even during the dry season.
“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 a business. That is why we always do everything within our powers to assist our farmers so that they can contribute meaningfully to the growth of our dear state and Nigeria.”
In his speech, the Commissioner, Agriculture and Water Resources, Umar Dan’akano, called on the beneficiaries to utilise 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 programme’s success in the state.
“Let me urge our smallholder 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, bird invasion, among others,” he added.
One of the representatives of a benefiting farmer group who spoke on behalf of the others, Margret Ogah, thanked the FG and IFAD for supporting them with the farming inputs and promised to use the items judiciously.
