The Niger State Government has assured the payment of all counterpart funding in the Agriculture sector to enable it access more funds for farmers towards boosting food security and employment for the people of the state.
The state governor, Muhammad Umar Bago gave the assurance at the flag-off and distribution of 2023 Wet Season Agro-Input by the International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD-Value Chain Development, Programme VCDP, Additional Financing in Minna.
The governor, who spoke through his Deputy, Yakubu Garba described the state’s partnership with IFAD-/VCDP over the years as positive and rewarding, saying it has continued to help in improving the income of more beneficiaries and making it easy for them to contribute meaningfully to the state’s economy.
Bago noted that through a partnership with IFAD –VCDP the state is currently being rated as the top producer of rice in the country, following a recent study by the Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Zaria.
“We are determined to expand the partnership with FGN/IFAD VCDP to support rural smallholder farmers annually with Agro-Inputs, Agro-processing equipment and simple farm implements across the local government areas in the state to increase their yield”.
The Governor also pledged the commitment of his administration to pay all salaries of staff of the IFAD office in the state.
He, however, warned beneficiaries of farming implements against selling them but to use them to enhance their output and increase their income.
Earlier, the National Coordinator, FGN IFAD,VCDP, Dr. Fatima K. Aliyu had called on the Niger State government to pay up it’s counterpart funding to have access to more funds as well as clear the backlog of salaries being owed staff in the state
She also disclosed the approval of the sum of $3.5 million from IFAD to help build farmers resillience to climate change challenges, saying whenn released, the funds will be deployed to farmers in Niger and Kogi States
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