By Collins Agwam

The Federal Government of Nigeria and the International Fund for Agricultural Development have commended a beneficiary of its Value Chain Development Programme in Nasarawa State for successfully cultivating rice on 54 hectares of land in line with its agenda to ensure food security in the country.

The Nasarawa state Programme Coordinator of the VCDP, Dr Eunice Adgidzi, gave the commendation on Sunday when she led a team of supervisors to the rice farm in the Awe Local Government of the state.

She explained that the beneficiary, Okolo Jonathan, alongside 14 others, were trained by the VCDP on rice seedling production in 2021 and each of them were given startup packs to cultivate one hectare of land.

Adgidzi, however, said the FG, IFAD Value Chain Development Programme was proud of the beneficiary for scaling up from one hectare in 2021 to 54 hectares in 2024.

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She said, “As an entrepreneur, he utilised the little support he had gotten from us to become a mechanised rice farmer.

“I am also excited because he is using a combined harvesting machine in harvesting his rice due the size of the farm.

“From a beneficiary, he has now become a service provider, due to his passion for what he is doing. He is now supplying rice seedlings to us, and we use it to provide to other farmers.”Related News

The programme coordinator added that with the performance of the farmer and others who had scaled up to three hectares, the VCDP’s target of increasing food security and reducing poverty would be achieved.

On his part, the beneficiary, Okolo Jonathan appreciated the VCDP and attributed the feat he had achieved to the training and support they gave him.

Jonathan explained that after the training, he started cultivating rice on one hectare but later increased his farming to five hectares in 2023, and now 54 hectares of land.

He added, “I am not yet where I want to be, but I am trusting God that I will continue to improve until I achieve my target.

“I hired the combined harvesting machine that I am using for now, but I am trusting God that I will be able to buy it in the future because using the combined harvesting machine reduces post-harvest loss by 80 per cent.”

On his part, the Logistics Manager of Sasala Agro-Bis, owners of the combined harvester, Olanrewaju Alabi, said the machine is very efficient and affordable, while explaining that with the aide of the machine, one hectare of rice farm could be harvested within one hour.

“We give the machine out for N200,000 per hectare, and it minimises loss because it usually harvests and separates the rice from grasses,” he said

Published Date: October 7, 2024