The federal government in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development through the Value Chain Development Programme (FGN/IFAD-VCDP) has distributed improved farm inputs to 1,918 farmers in Nasarawa state to enhance rice and cassava production.
The state programme coordinator, Dr. Eunice Adigizi, Tuesday, in Lafia stated that the programme would support the cultivation of 195 hectares of rice and 140 hectares of cassava across the benefiting communities in the state.
She added that 31 rice farmer organisations and 23 cassava farmer organisations, drawn from 76 farmer groups, would benefit from the intervention.
She said the intervention was designed to provide farmers with timely access to quality inputs, reduce production costs, minimise post-harvest losses and improve household incomes.
“The intervention, implemented with additional financing under the programme, targets farmers in Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Karu and Nasarawa local government areas.”
Adigizi added that the programme distributed 9,750 kilogrammes of certified rice seeds, 7,000 bundles of improved cassava stems, 670 litres of herbicides, 1,340 bags of NPK fertiliser and 390 bags of urea fertiliser to enhance productivity.