FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – The Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (FGN/IFAD-VCDP) on Tuesday distributed improved farm inputs and 22 tricycles to 1,918 farmers in Nasarawa State to boost rice and cassava production during the 2026 wet farming season.
The intervention, implemented with additional financing under the programme, targets farmers in Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Karu and Nasarawa Local Government Areas.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Lafia, the State Programme Coordinator, Dr Eunice Adigizi, said the programme would support the cultivation of 195 hectares of Rice and 140 hectares of cassava across the benefiting communities.
Adigizi said 31 Rice Farmer organizations and 23 cassava farmer organizations, drawn from 76 farmer groups, would benefit from the intervention.
She said the programme distributed 9,750 kilograms 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 fertilizer to enhance productivity.
According to her, 22 tricycles were also presented to 22 farmer organizations to improve transportation, aggregation and market linkages along the rice and cassava value chains.
She said the intervention was designed to provide farmers with timely access to quality inputs, reduce production costs, minimize post-harvest losses and improve household incomes.
The coordinator added that the programme also presented a matching grant of N1.2 million to persons with disabilities, describing it as evidence of the Nasarawa State Government’s commitment to inclusive agricultural development.
Adigizi urged beneficiaries to utilize the inputs and equipment responsibly to achieve the objectives of the programme and improve food security in the state.
Also speaking, Hajiya Fatima Aliyu, the National Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD-VCDP, represented by Mr Musa Dalang, Rural Institutions, Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Advisor, commended Gov. Abdullahi Sule for his sustained support and prompt payment of counterpart funds for the programme.
Aliyu appealed to the state government to sustain the programme beyond its expected closure in December 2026 by transforming it into a state agency to consolidate its achievements and extend its benefits to more communities.
He also advised beneficiaries against selling the distributed inputs and equipment, urging them to use the support to increase productivity and improve their livelihoods.
In his remarks, Mr Umar Tanko-Tunga, Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, described agriculture as the backbone of the state’s economy and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting farmers through strategic partnerships.
Tanko-Tunga said the distribution of quality farm inputs and tricycles would improve productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen the rice and cassava value chains across the state.
He also announced that the state government had fulfilled its pledge of N1.2 million support for persons with disabilities made during the visit of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security earlier in the year.
Also speaking, Mr Sale Barde-Keana, Chairman of the Nasarawa State Disability Rights Commission, commended the VCDP for promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in its interventions and urged the programme to expand such opportunities.
Some beneficiaries, including Margaret Oshawa, a cassava farmer and person with disability, as well as AbdulKareem Ali from Doma and Joel Wahe from Wamba, said the programme had transformed their livelihoods through training, access to farm inputs and improved farming practices.
They pledged to make effective use of the support to increase production and improve their incomes.
ARI, LIMAN AMINU.
HEAD OF CENTRE,
FIC, LAFIA.
