The Federal Government has flagged off the distribution of processing and post-harvest equipment under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) to support farmers and agribusiness groups in Nasarawa State.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, flagged off the exercise during a two-day working visit to Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital. Kyari said the intervention is designed to “add value to agricultural produce, reduce post-harvest losses, empower women and youth farmers, enhance competitiveness and boost overall productivity in the sector.”
He said the programme is being implemented in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and is expected to address structural challenges in the rice and cassava value chains. According to him, this will be achieved through integrated investments in production, aggregation, processing, infrastructure, market access and institutional strengthening, in line with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP).
Kyari said the administration of Bola Tinubu is repositioning agriculture as “a modern, market-oriented and private sector-driven enterprise,” with Nasarawa State playing a leading role in the transformation. He commended Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, for his commitment to large-scale cultivation and efforts to boost domestic food supply, stabilise prices, conserve foreign exchange and create employment.
The minister said the impact of federal-state collaboration is evident in the establishment of functional aggregation centres, modern processing facilities and strengthened producer organisations across the state.
In his remarks, Governor Sule said the state government has aligned its agricultural programmes with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government, aimed at economic diversification and wealth creation for farmers.
Also speaking, the National Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme, Dr Fatima Aliyu, said the initiative supports rice and cassava farmers through a value chain approach to improve productivity, promote agro-processing and expand access to markets. She added that the programme is expected to contribute to food security, increase rural incomes and generate employment opportunities across participating communities in Nasarawa State.
