News Investigators/ The Federal Government says it has empowered 27,302 farmers in Niger to encourage agricultural productivity and enhance food security.
The programme is being implemented in partnership with International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (FG/IFAD-VCDP).
Hadiza Isah, the State Programme Coordinator, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja,
She said the beneficiaries comprising 12,095 males and 9,132 females have been empowered in rice production and value addition while 3,035 males and 2,398 females received training in cassava production.
Mrs Isah said the VCDP project is being implemented in Bida, Katcha, Wushishi, Kontagora, Shiroro, Borgu, Edati and Mokwa Local Government Areas of the state,
She said the intervention was designed to reduce poverty by increasing income of smallholder farmers, improve food security and accelerate economic growth.
Mrs Isah said the VCDP goals aimed at strengthening value chain, reduce post-harvest losses, improve nutrition, increase market access, improve productivity, among others.
She said the beneficiaries were also exposed to rice and cassava processing as well as empowered communities with processing facilities in the two value chain.
She says “at the moment the populace now have access to food and income among others.
“VCDP considering the volume of rice production in the beneficiary communities establish a processing centre for women groups base on their request.
“Any rice harvested here is processed locally and attract more market than rice produced in local government areas that are not under the project,” she said.
The coordinator said the feat achieved by the programme at Edati LGA attracted interest from other other areas, and attributed the success to the incorporation of good agronomic practices in the project.
NAN