The Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development–Value Chain Development Programme (FG/IFAD-VCDP) says it has created more than 11,000 permanent jobs through its agribusiness support initiatives.
Dr Fatima Aliyu, National Programme Coordinator of VCDP, disclosed this on Thursday at a media roundtable in Abuja.
Aliyu said the programme had generated 11,890 permanent jobs, including 3,128 for women, 2,710 for men and 6,052 for youths, who now run various agribusiness ventures.
She noted that the intervention had helped reduce rural–urban migration, especially among young people, while providing income-generating opportunities for vulnerable women and persons with disabilities.
“Our main objective at VCDP is to move smallholder farmers from subsistence to micro-enterprises.
“Rice farmers benefiting from the project now produce five to six tonnes per hectare, while cassava farmers are recording about 30 tonnes per hectare.
“We have also trained youth farmers on rice seed and cassava stem production, and they now produce and sell these inputs within their communities.
“This has turned many of them into entrepreneurs, wealth creators and job creators across the benefiting states,” she said.
Aliyu said VCDP achieved the milestone through proper profiling of beneficiaries and strong engagement with governments at all levels, as well as with religious leaders, community leaders and the media.
She added that the programme prioritized continuous training of farmers on good agricultural practices, the introduction of dry-season rice farming and value-chain financing, among other interventions.
She listed insecurity, climate change, high input costs driven by inflation and low literacy levels among farmers as major challenges affecting VCDP implementation.
Also speaking, Mr Nura Lawal, Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor, FG/IFAD-VCDP, said the project focuses on rice and cassava value chains in nine states.
He listed the benefiting states as Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Enugu and Taraba.
According to him, the programme is designed to boost productivity, improve market access, enhance value addition and create jobs.
“VCDP places particular emphasis on empowering women and youth through training, improved infrastructure, climate-smart practices and stronger market linkages for better food security and income,” he said.
In her remarks, Mrs Vera Onyilo, Knowledge Management and Communication Advisor, IFAD-VCDP, appreciated the media for giving visibility to the project since its inception in 2014.
The two-day media roundtable drew participants from the nine participating states.
