Ahmed Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi State, has distributed farm inputs and other equipment to rural farmers under the IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP-AF) to boost food security in the state.
Timothy Ojomah, Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Security, who flagged off the distribution on behalf of the governor in Lokoja, said that the farm inputs are essential for agricultural production to help farmers increase crop yields, and enhance overall efficiency in the cassava and rice value chain in the state.
The commissioner noted that over 10,000 farmers across the 21 local government areas of the state, had received support through various initiatives under Ododo’s administration, pointing out that the state government empowered over 1,200 cassava farmers in its intervention in 2024, including; tractorization, input provision and some extension services to farmers in the state.
Ojomah equally said that the governor’s various initiatives in agriculture had started yielding massive results in boosting food security in the state, reaffirming that Ododo’s administration is committed to the payment of counterpart funds to enable VCDP continue to empower smallholder farmers at the grassroots in the state.
He described IFAD/VCDP as a unique programme that touches the lives of rural communities positively, as he advised the beneficiaries not to sell the tools but rather make judicious use of them to boost food security and enhance overall efficiency in agricultural development in the state and the country at large.
The commissioner commended the state programme coordinator and her team for their resilience, adding that under her leadership, Kogi rural farmers had benefited greatly from the IFAD/VCDP.
Read also: Kogi targets AfDB’s multi-billion-dollar food security project
Speaking also, George Ogirima, managing director, Kogi Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), said that the VCDP team had successfully demonstrated capacity among many agricultural programmes in the state, as he promised to always be on ground to give needed support to the VCDP programme.
Earlier, Stella Adejoh, State Programme Coordinator (SPC) of IFAD-VCDP, commended the governor for his unwavering support and commitment to the VCDP activities in the state, as she attributed the modest achievements recorded by the VCDP in Kogi to the supportive role played by the state government, IFAD and the entire stakeholders.
Adejoh noted that the equipment and starter packs distribution was a demonstration of the programme ‘s commitment and alignment with the governor’s drive for zero tolerance to hunger and starvation in the state.
Some of beneficiaries, including; Bagi Grace, Bilikisu Yusuf and Gabriel Otohinoyi, expressed their appreciation to the governor for prioritising food security through his continued support for the IFAD VCDP-AF programmes for rural farmers in the state.
“We are very grateful to our governor for the gesture, and we promise to make judicious use of the farm tools,” Gabriel said.
Items distributed include: power tillers, motorcycles, solar powered sprayer; pumping, welding and grinding machines; sealing machines, cassava chipping machines, rice planters, handheld reapers, among others.
Starter packs were also distributed to some youth who were trained by the Kogi VCDP on income generating activities.
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