Agricultural Productivity: NIRSAL Empowers Over 2,000 Farmers in 4 States

August 7, 2024, Owerri – In line with its mandate to de-risk agriculture and facilitate agribusiness in Nigeria, NIRSAL Plc has completed a midyear capacity development programme for agricultural value chain actors, particularly lead farmers and extension agents in the Aquaculture and Cassava value chains across locations in Imo, Sokoto, Kwara, and Oyo States. The train-the-trainer programme, which had over 2,000 participants, is intended to impact a further 40,000 farmers during the step-down phase.

With the programme according to Jude Nnadozie, Head, Corporate Communications, NIRSAL set out to sensitize the participants on its value chain-fixing solutions, especially the Agro Geo-Cooperative® (AGC) model which structures smallholder farmers cultivating in the same locations into financeable clusters with elaborate governance structures, thereby enhancing their capacity to access finance, inputs and mechanization services, optimize their harvests and produce aggregation, and boost their access to secured markets.

L-R Mr Austin Ike (Zonal Head, South East NIRSAL), Mrs Nkechi Osuji (Head, NFO Imo State), Hon., Engineer Uche Agabige (House Committee chairman in Agriculture Imo State House of Representative), Mallam Ibrahim Suleiman (AGM, AVCPIS NIRSAL) Mr Jonathan Anayo Emmanuel immediate past Program Office Agricultural Development Program (ADP), Mrs Amanze Olivia Director Extension Services ADP (Representing General Manager Imo State ADP Owerri), Mr Ofili Akponor (Deputy Manager AVCPIS NIRSAL).

In Imo State, where 250 participants assembled in Owerri on day-1, and no less than 350 at the Umuofuga Umuhu Okwuato Multipurpose Hall at Aboh-Mbaise on day-2, the focus was on efficient models for fish production. It was the same in Sokoto State, while the Oyo and Kwara outings focused on cassava.

Mr. Uche Agabige, Imo State House Committee Chairman on Agriculture, lauded NIRSAL for including Imo in this round of the capacity building programme, with the belief that it would complement local efforts aimed at boosting agricultural productivity in the state.

Head of Value Chain Capacity Development at NIRSAL Plc, Mr. Ibrahim Suleiman, said that under the Technical Assistance pillar of its mandate, NIRSAL is working towards reaching 100,000 fish, cassava, and rice farmers across the country this year with its training on the optimization of Agro Geo-Cooperatives to support the Federal Government’s food security agenda.

According to Mr. Suleiman, lead farmers and extension agents in aquaculture and cassava were similarly gathered at locations in Sokoto, Oyo, and Kwara States, and they are expected to cascade the training to members of their Agro Geo-Cooperatives in their respective states.

The NIRSAL teams received warm reception and commendations in all locations, including from the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Akinyele Local Government Chairman, both in Oyo State, and from the Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Farmers’ Interventions in Ilorin, among others.

NIRSAL Plc is an initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) established to de-risk agriculture and agribusiness financing in Nigeria, with a view to stimulating the flow of finance and investment into the Agricultural Value Chain from multiple sources. Logic for the Imo training exercise is provided by one of the five pillars of NIRSAL—Technical Assistance, under which value chain fixing initiatives are researched, developed, and promoted.