The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)/Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Benue, has distributed farm inputs to 113 farmers in seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
The National Programme Coordinator (NPC), Dr Fatima Aliyu, disclosed this during the flag off ceremony of IFAD COVID-19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) Grant, held on Saturday in Makurdi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 88 of the farmers are male while 25 are women, and the LGAs are Agatu, Guma, Gwer, Gwer West, Kwande, Logo and Okpokwu.
“Each of them got 23 bags of NPK, 12 bags of Urea, 12 bags of rice seeds, 11 bottles of selective herbicides and 11 bottles of non selective herbicides,” she said.
According to Aliyu, represented by Mr Baba Yakubu, the National Procurement Officer, the distribution of the inputs is aimed at improving incomes and food security of poor rural households engaged in production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava on a sustainable basis.
“You will recall that in early 2020, there was an outbreak of COVID-19 which affected the world and disrupted farming activities and food systems.
“To cushion the devastating effect of COVID-19 on farmers in Nigeria, IFAD gave a grant tagged RPSF to Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“The grant is meant to support vulnerable farmers in VCDP states of Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun and Taraba to sustain production, enhance food security and accelerate their recovery from the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic,” Aliyu said.
She added that apart from the distribution of the farm inputs, VCDP would also provide extension services to targeted farmers who would receive training on good agronomic practices in application of fertilizers and agro-chemicals as well as farm management and climate smart agriculture.
She further said that to enhance the transparency in the distribution of the inputs redemption process, the programme has engaged the services of the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) for effective management of the inputs’ delivery and redemption in all the nine states through the voucher inputs redemption system.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Kester Kyenge, has expressed happiness over the intervention, stressing that it would go a long way to promote food security.
Kyenge further appealed to IFAD-VCDP to assist farmers to venture into processing, stating that if they process their yields they would make more money.
The State Programme Coordinator, Mr Emmanuel Igbaukum, said that IFAD-VCDP, through its various programmes, had raised millionaires in the state, emphasizing that they are willing to do more for the state.