The Niger Delta Development Commission has announced a partnership with communities in the Niger Delta region to empower 4,500 rice and cassava farmers to ensure food security in the region and the country at large.
The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during the onboarding programme for the empowerment of the farmers at the NDDC Headquarters in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Ogbuku said that the initiative was part of the proactive effort of President Bola Tinubu to empower the people of the Niger Delta and promote food security in Nigeria.
Ogbuku, who was represented by the Executive Director, Projects, Victor Antai, said the flagship agricultural initiative would support smallholder rice and cassava farmers with data, financing, farm inputs, mechanisation and extension services to sustainably produce rice and cassava to enhance their income and contribute to food sufficiency in the Niger Delta region.
He stated, “This programme is conservatively projected to produce 12,000 tonnes of paddy rice and 10,500 tonnes of cassava tubers in the pilot phase. This is at a conservative yield of 4 tonnes per hectare for rice and 7 tonnes per hectare for cassava.
“In addition to supporting farmers with factors of production, this project will connect farmers to the market by providing off-taking and help them build the performance and credit record they need to benefit subsequently from commercial financing.
“We are aware that some agricultural programmes in the region are hampered by a lack of land preparation occasioned by the thick vegetation and storage. We will use the successful example of this initiative to catalyze the required investment in agricultural infrastructure.”
Speaking earlier, the NDDC Director, Agriculture and Fisheries, Mrs. Winifred Madume, described the project as capable of enhancing the agricultural activities and economic well-being of the people.
