Niger State Government has signed financing agreement with the National Agricultural Development fund on Rice and Maize production in the State.
The agreement was signed at the Niger State Governor’s Lodge Abuja with the Chairman Niger Foods signing on behalf of the Agency and the CEO National Agricultural Development Fund Mohammed Abu Ibrahim signing on behalf of the Organisation.
Both parties had in October 2024 signed a memorandum of understanding where NADF is to provide N2.5bn with the Niger State Government providing the other N2.5bn that will see the production of 20,000 tons of Rice and Maize covering about 4,000 hectares in 3 Local Government Areas of the State.
Governor Umaru Bago who described the agreement as remarkable said, the development is in tandem with the food sovereignty agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of ensuring that Nigeria has enough food to feed itself.
He said, the State Government is excited with the pilot scheme which will involve outgrower policy between Niger Foods and the National Agricultural Development Fund even as it impacts on the lives of 40,000 people in the State.
He re-emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to ensure food security saying, Niger State is poised to take advantage of its natural resources for the common good of the people and appreciate the Agricultural Development Fund for its trust in the State with a call on other Agencies to take a cue from them.
The Chief Executive Officer, National Agricultural Development Fund, Mohammed Abu Ibrahim appreciated the Governor for ensuring that the agreement is sealed saying the organisation acknowledges the potentials of Niger State and it is part of its mandate to see how to fund and finance large hectares of land to help produce food and alleviate the temporary food shortages in the Country.
He said the agreement signed with Niger State Government is the first of the financial agreement between both parties that will see to the mix cropping of rice and maize and hopefully get 20,000tons of food from the 4,000 small holder farmers that will be involved.
Niger Foods is expected to serve as operators and providers of offtake agreement while the National Agricultural Development Fund will be providing monitoring and evaluation,as well as some level of advisory services.
