By Tina George, Minna
Towards reducing drudgery as well as encouraging more women and youths to embrace agriculture, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD Value Chain Development Programne (VCDP-AF), has distributed agro production and processing equipment to six agro-processing groups and 10 farmers.
The equipment include, power tillers, rice reapers, sprayers, rice polishers, destoners, rice paddy cleaner, steam parboilers, rice milling machine, gari fryer, cassava presser, cassava grater, cassava siever, mini combined harvesters, sprayers and UDP applicator.
According to the Niger Coordinator of the programme, Dr Mathew Ahmed, each of the agro-processing groups has 25 members while 10 other farmers would benefit from production tools.
Speaking at the the flag-off ceremony of the distribution to beneficiaries, Ahmed said that the aim is to encourage smart climate agriculture and make farm work exciting to youths and women.
“This equipment would address climate issues by reducing the emission of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. It will encourage the youths to go into more production aspect. This is part of the strategy of smart climate agriculture.”
In his address, the national coordinator, Alhaji Garba Bala said that N75 million was spent for the purchase of the equipment out of which the farmers paid 30 per cent while IFAD-VCDP paid 70 per cent.
He disclosed that N100 million worth of farm inputs have been purchased by IFAD-VCDP in the state for the 2021 dry season farming for farmers under its programme.
Bala appealed to the state government to pay up its counterpart fund in other to encourage the scheme to give access to more programmes, which would be beneficial to farmers in the state.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Haliru Jikantoro, who appreciated the gesture of IFAD in its bid to make farming easier to farmers, assured that the government would do its best to ensure that its counterpart fund is paid in due time.
