Nigeria: Kogi Govt. Gets N150m Agric. Devt. Programme

The World Bank-assisted Fadama III Additional Financing project has recently said that it has designed a N150 million agricultural development programme for Kogi under FADAMA III programme.
The project’s Task Team Leader, Dr Adetunji Oredipe, stated this in Lokoja during an assessment visit to the state.
He said that the programme was also designed to provide support to rural farmers across the value chains of cassava, rice, sorghum and horticulture, in line with the SDG’s.
The task team leader added that the programme was to rehabilitate access roads to the rural communities to facilitate market accessibility by the farmers.
He also stated that the project was aimed at building new generations of business-oriented agro-entrepreneurs as well as giving farmers a new way of feeding their families and earning good incomes.
Oredipe said that the programme was also going on simultaneously in other states like Niger, Kano, Lagos, Anambra and Enugu. Some of the states had prepared their designs, while others were already launching their procurement processes, and he expressed the hope that the programme will kick-off by June.
The World Bank is expected to provide N120 million while the state government is expected to pay the balance of N30 million as its counterpart contribution.
Oredipe, who stated that the project team was poised to tackle the challenges facing Kogi farmers, appealed to the state government to meet its counterpart obligations.
“We have discussed this with the government, and we are happy to report that the government has acquired new sets of equipment to assist farmers in this regard.
The state Deputy Governor, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, told the team that government had acquired at least 19 bulldozers, some tractors and other equipment to boost crop production in the state.
“The programme is also promoting the establishment of agricultural centers close to the farms where off-takers can easily access and pick up the produce. This will save the farmers the stress and loss associated with transporting their produce, over long distances, to the market. At the agricultural centers, facilities will be provided to assist farmers with initial processing of their produce to ensure convenience for the off-takers,’’ he said.