Over 10,000 farmers across the 21 local government areas of Kogi State have received support through various initiatives under Ododo’s administration, which had started yielding results in changing the narrative of the high cost of food in the state.
Timothy Ojomah, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this during the flagging off of the FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP-AF) in Lokoja.
The FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP-AF), has held its second edition of the Commodity Fair, aimed at creating an enabling environment for smallholder farmers to boost food security and productivity in Kogi State.
The 2024 edition of the annual commodity fair for Value Chain operators with the state government, held in Lokoja, underscores the collective commitment to enhancing food security, exhibition and knowledge sharing.
He said: “The gesture was part of the government’s efforts to empower smallholder farmers at the grassroots.”
He pointed out that the state government’s collaboration with FGN/IFAD-VCDP-AF had enhanced food sufficiency and productivity through the provision of equipment, inputs, loans and other incentives to smallholder farmers in Kogi.
The VCDP also distributed equipment such as grinding machines to people with disabilities (PWDs) and vulnerable windows across the five benefiting local government areas in Kogi.
Ojomah reassured the commitment of Gov Ododo’s administration to continue to assist rural farmers by supporting VCDP activities for maximum Agricultural production and food security in the state.
The commissioner commended the state programme coordinator, Stella Adejoh and her team for their resilience, adding that under her leadership, Kogi rural farmers had benefited a lot from VCDP.
He urged the beneficiaries of the inputs to properly utilise them in order to achieve their intended purpose of enhancing productivity and food security in the state, as he reassured the commitment of Ododo’s administration to continue to pay it counterpart funds to enable the VCDP programme to receive more attention for the benefit of all citizens.
Earlier, Stella Adejph, the State Program Coordinator (SPC), emphasised the significance of the commodity fair as a platform to enhance food security, knowledge sharing and cross -fertilisation of ideas.
She said this year’s theme: “Incentivising Smallholder Farmers to Scale for the Attainment of Food Security in 2025,” reflects an urgent call to action to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead, adding that the fair also highlighted the pivotal role that smallholder farmers played in achieving sustainable food systems.
“These dedicated smallholder farmers represent the backbone of our economy and play crucial roles in ensuring that our food systems are resilient, sustainable and capable of meeting the demands of our growing population.
“The smallholder farmers contribute nearly 70 per cent of Nigeria’s Agricultural output; however, their potentials remain largely untapped”.
She, equally stressed the need to focus on creating an enabling environment through policy support, access to finance, land, mechanisation and the right incentives to empower smallholder farmers to scale up their operations and increase productivity.
She urged leaders in their respective fields to collaborate, innovate and invest in the future of agriculture by helping farmers access markets and improve their livelihoods.
Adejoh appreciated the Governor for his timely payment of counterpart funds, culminating to the level of success being witnessed in the state
She added: “Together, we can create lasting change in the lives of our smallholder farmers and achieve our vision of food security in 2025.”
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