Kwiza Mbumbeh, Maiduguri
April 14, 2023.
The Borno State government has said that 200, 000 farmers have benefited from the execution of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) projects in the State.
The implementations of the various agricultural projects; were facilitated with the improved security situations in 24 Local Government Areas.
This was disclosed, yesterday (Friday), in Maiduguri by the State’s Agricultural Development Programme Manager, Darman Mohammed, at the regional three-day consultative workshop.
According to him, the workshop was in preparation for the 2024 to 2029 Country Strategy Opportunity Programmes (COSOP) for farmers and stakeholders in the Northeast.
He lamented that farmers were seriously affected in the over a decade conflict by denying them access to their farmlands and orchards.
“Many farmers were fearful of the planted landmines and in most cases being abducted by the insurgents,” he said.
He noted that the present security situation and increased agricultural activities have improved farmers’ productivity and incomes.
His words: “The executed projects have also led to the successes of many farmers with increased crop production for national food security.
“The security has improved and farmers are now moving into the hinterland to expand their farmlands for the 2023 cropping season.”
He said IFAD also wanted to bring in new projects to the State to add more value chains in the agricultural sector.
According to him, the workshop was to identify the challenges in implementing the IFAD projects to improve farmers’ agricultural productivities.
The Financial Inclusion Specialist, IFAD Country Programme Advisory team, Yusuf Haliru, said the workshops was to chat ways forward with the stakeholders at regional levels
He noted that Nigeria remains the biggest portfolio of IFAD projects in Africa.
On IFAD’s targets, he said: “We are going to add innovation to the agricultural sector, by engaging the farmers directly on best agricultural practices.
“Farmers are to do things with new innovations that could improve their productivities and incomes,” he said, as well as adding valued chains in the agricultural and livestock sectors of the economy.
End.
