The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) said it will in the next few weeks begin the distribution of input to farmers in eight states of the federation, ahead of the 2019 wet season farming.
Head, Corporate Communications of NIRSAL, Ms Anne Ihugba, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.
According to the statement, the distribution will be done under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).
She said that the input, which included cassava, maize, cocoa and rice, would be distributed to farmers in Anambra, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Abia, Ondo and Zamfara states.
She expressd the hope that the initiative would help to break the jinx of late input supply as previously experienced by farmers.
Ihugba explained that NIRSAL launched the dry season input supply about two weeks ago and would continue with the distribution in Gombe, Jigawa, Taraba and Kano states.
She said that at least 3,000 rice farmers in different states of the federation had so far benefited from the input supply.
She said that the organisation had distributed seeds, crop protection products, Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium (NPK) & urea fertilizers, knapsack sprayers, petrol water pumps and mechanisation services to rice farmers in the country.
She said: “NIRSAL is moving proactively to ensure that farmers receive necessary inputs on time for a successful 2019 farming season.
“Already, thousands of smallholder farmers in various states of the country have received input packages for rice and tomatoes under the CBN ABP.
“NIRSAL is driving the process in its capacity as a Participating Financial Institution under the ABP.
“A general approach adopted by NIRSAL in primary production is to align with Agricultural Commodity Ecological Areas,’’ she said.
Ihugba said that ABP, which was launched by the president in 2015, had paved the way for big gains in the agriculture sector, in terms of food production, job creation and contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. (NAN)
