Firm to boost Nigeria's rice production via €850,000 grant

…targets 13,000 smallholder rice farmers in Kogi

Hemam Synergy, an agribusiness company has unveiled a €850,000 (N1.485 billion) grant to support 13,000 smallholder rice farmers in Ibaji community, Kogi State.

Michael Ameh, the chief executive officer of Hemam Synergy, disclosed this duringva press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday. According to him, the project, capitalising on the government’s push for local rice production, will focus on empowering the smallholders farmers to mitigate the impact of climate change, ensuring resilience and adaptation.

Ameh, noting the prevalence of food insecurity in Nigeria, said that rural smallholder farmers even though accounting for 90 percent of the country’s food production, were the worse hit by food insecurity as they continue to face the challenge of low yields.

This challenge, he said is due to poor agronomy practices, lack of access to quality and affordable farm inputs as well as weak adaptation to changing climate

“Also, rural Nigerian youth face the challenge of unemployment and underemployment. Youth in rural communities often encounter a lack of formal job opportunities that offer stability, fair wages, and avenues for growth. This challenge is further exacerbated for young women due to gender biases and traditional norms that restrict their access to economic opportunities.

“One of the regions where this trend is very visible is Ibaji, Kogi State where the dominant occupation is rice farming. Many youths in Ibaji lack the necessary skills and training to secure meaningful employment in emerging sectors.

“To address these issues, this project will capitalize on the Nigerian government’s push for local rice processing, focusing specifically on the rice value chain in Ibaji. It will focus on climate resilience and adaptation and empower rural smallholder farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change and to build their perseverance and abilities to adapt.

“The project also aims to provide meaningful employment opportunities in agriculture and equip rural youths with the necessary skills. The project aims to increase the rice paddy yield per hectare of an additional 13,000 rural rice farmers in Ibaji.”

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To achieve this, Ameh said that over 1,480 young extension service providers will be recruited to engage, onboard, and train the farmers on good agronomic practices, climate resilience and adaptation, and to manage the farmers through tech-enabled field extension jobs.

He added that through the project, Hermam Synergy aims to transform informal farming jobs into sustainable, formal, and decent employment options.

“By bringing these jobs directly to the communities, the project will provide employment opportunities to rural youth without them having to migrate to urban areas. This will also create opportunities for young women to work while remaining connected to their families and support systems.

In her remarks, Alice Adedayo Arogbonlo, the head of Partnerships and Sustainability, Hemam Synergy, said the Netherland government, through its ‘Challenge Fund for Youth Employment Program’ CFYE is donor sponsor for the project, providing €387,000 and implementing through the Palladium Group. While the Hemam Synergy will provide the matching fund of €473,000.

” CFYE is a two-year programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Palladium Group. They are working in several countries including Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Sudan, Uganda, Tunisia and Senegal – our company, Hemam Synergy is one of the private companies selected by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment to create decent jobs for rural youths aged 18-35 in Ibaji, Kogi State.

“This project would improve the socio-economic well-being of these youths in Ibaji, Kogi State, improve farmers’ yield from an average of 1.5 tons per hectare to an average of 4.5 tons per hectare, provide training on best agronomy practices, and provide access to profitable markets.

“In addition, Hemam Synergy will be using a technology called the Agricultural Operating System, AOS to drive the entire process from farmers’ onboarding, farm mapping and inventory management, through this project, Sustainable Agriculture for Youth Employment Project through the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment, CFYE to support 13,000 farmers to build resilience against climate change, and improve their socio-economic well-being,” she said.