The International Fund for Agricultural Development–Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP ), has commenced the distribution of agricultural inputs to two hundred and five wet season rice and cassava farmers in Kogi State.
National Coordinator, FGN/IFAD-VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu disclosed this at the flag off ceremony of the Agricultural Development Project, ADP, office in Lokoja.
Dr Aliyu who was represented at the event by Mr Musa Dalang, National IFAD- VCDP office said the objective was to enhance the income and food security of rural small holder farmers in the participating States and local government areas in a sustainable manner.
She said the programme was geared towards supporting farmers with inputs such as certified rice seeds, fertilizer, herbicides and improved cassava stems to enable them participate fully in the wet season farming.
According to her, the programme since inception had supported beneficiaries in Kogi in the areas of training, capacity building, infrastructure and input distribution.
The National Coordinator advised the farmers to get their farms insured under the collaborative efforts of IFAD-VCDP with Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Company (NAIC) stressing that the insurance would help to cushion the effects of losses and plough such farmers back to production in the next cropping season.
She, however appealed to the beneficiaries to make the best use of the inputs to enable the programme achieve its development objectives of poverty reduction, and enhancing food security of the poor rural households in Kogi and Nigeria at large.
Permanent Secretary, Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Lami Lawal congratulated the farmers for making the state proud by working hard in always implementing the programmes.
In her remarks, the State Programme Coordinator, Doctor Stella Adejoh said the IFAD-VCDP was geared at enhancing rice and cassava value chains for sustainable agricultural transformation.
