The International Fund for Agriculture Development – Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP), has distributed tricycles to farmers, processors and marketers in Kogi to improve their well being and livelihoods.
Timothy Ojoma, commissioner for Agriculture who flagged off the distribution exercise at FGN/IFAD-VCDP office recently in Lokoja commended the VCDP for the gesture, saying the tricycles will help farmers convey produce to markets.
Ojoma advised the beneficiaries not to sell the tricycles but to maintain it, and use it to achieve the intended purposes of improving their livelihood and reducing poverty.
He urged them to handle the tricycles with care by taking ownership of them for their own benefits and that of their families and the state at large.
Ojoma equally commended the VCDP for partnering with the state government in empowering farmers in the state, assuring them of government’s continuous support.
He praised Yahaya Bello for keying into the VCDP and other agricultural intervention programmes in the state geared towards boosting farmers productivity.
Earlier, Stella Adejoh, the State Programme Coordinator IFAD-VCDP, said the beneficiaries cut across the five local government areas where VCDP is operating at the moment.
“The local government areas include: Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ibaji, Olamaboro and Kabba/Bunu, adding that a total of 15 tricycles have so far been distributed.”
She noted that the tricycles were not totally free, but the beneficiaries paid a matching grant of 30 percent of the total cost while the VCDP-AF paid the remaining 70 percent.
She stressed that the essence of the matching grant was for the beneficiaries to show seriousness, commitment and ownership of the machines.
“Today we are distributing tricycles with trailers back to smallholder farmers, processors and marketers to convey their farm produce, processed products and also convey them to the markets for sale,” she said.
Adejoh stressed that the gesture was part of IFAD-VCDP strategies at reducing hunger and starvation and improve the livelihoods of the people, noting that during the recent food system summit in Italy where the federal government was fully represented with a commitment to leverage on the successes of VCDP in the country.
She stated that the distribution of the tricycles was perfectly in line with the global mindset of IFAD/ VCDP on how to help smallholder farmers, processors and marketers under the VCDP Programme.
The SPC emphasised that the IFAD-VCDP is enhancing rice and cassava value chains for sustainable agricultural transformation.
She urged the beneficiaries to utilise the tricycles to improve their livelihood and the economy of the state, saying they would be properly monitored.
Adejoh thanked the Governor for giving the VCDP Programmes the necessary support and for creating the enabling environment for the programme.
Farmers who are beneficiaries expressed their appreciation to VCDP and the Kogi Government for the gesture.
Zainab Musa from Lokoja, a widow and mother of five said the gesture would have a great impact in improving her livelihood and wellbeing of her family.
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She said “My husband is late, but this gesture would enable me to feed my five children very well and train them in school.”
Also, Celestine Ejuwe from Ibaji, said, “I am overwhelmed with this gesture from Kogi VCDP for finding my cluster worthy to get the tricycle.”
“The tricycle will really help us in transporting our farm produce to the market from time to time.”
The beneficiaries promised to use the tricycles for the intended purposes to achieve the IFAD-VCDP objectives of boosting the agricultural value chain and ensuring food security on a sustainable basis.
