IFAD, Government Distribute N52m Farm Inputs To 300 Farmers In Benue

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in collaboration with the Federal Government, on Tuesday distributed farm inputs worth N52 million to 300 cassava and rice farmers in Benue.

Mr Emmanuel Igbaukum, IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) Coordinator, disclosed this during a ceremony to begin distribution of the inputs in Makurdi.

“This year, 300 cassava and rice farmers are to benefit from agro inputs support amounting to N52 million.
“The youths will be supported with tricycles, power tillers, knack sack sprayers, water pumps, thrashers, direct seeders, rice milling machines, rice distoner, weighing scales, bag closers, packaging materials.

“Other inputs include grater, pressers, wet hammer, fryers, sieving machine, weighing scales and bag closer,” Igbaukum said.

The coordinator said that IFAD-VCDP would ensure that the fertilisers and other inputs that would be distributed to the farmers were of high quality, and would not be diverted.

Reversed

He said the reports that substandard fertilizers were being sold to farmers, were regrettable, and expressed IFAD-VCDP’s commitment to ensuring the trend was reversed.

He stressed that it was the organisation’s responsibility to ensure that only high-quality fertilisers reached farmers, so as to boost productivity.

He further pleaded with the Benue State Government, to support the IFAD Project with the timely release of counterpart funds for effective implementation of the project’s mandate.

Timely payment

The National Programme Coordinator, Dr Fatima Aliyu, akso lent her voice to Igbaukum’s plea, stating that IFAD was counting on the state government’s continued support through timely payment of counterpart funds.

Aliyu, who was represented by IFAD’s National Procurement Officer, Mr Baba Yakubu, assured the government of a sustained collaboration with the state, to improve and sustain the livelihoods and income of farmers in the state.

Also, the Acting Permanent Secretary, in the state’s Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Nat Adzuu, lauded the intervention of IFAD, particularly the 2023 input distribution, stressing that it came at  a critical time that prices of farm inputs had skyrocketed.

“This made it very difficult for our small holder farmers to attain and expand their production potentials,” Adzuu said.

Commodity Alliance Forum’s Fidelis Tarkende, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, appreciated IFAD-VCDP for making the farm inputs distribution an annual event, assuring that they would be judiciously used for their overall good.

NAN/Lateefah Ibrahim