Fish farmers in Sokoto State have been trained on aggregation of fish production assets, access to finance, money management and harvesting.
About 500 fish farmers participated in the two-day NIRSAL-sponsored capacity development programme held in two locations in the state.
The Train-the-Trainer engagement was targeted at reaching a further 2,000 fish farmers across the state, potentially boosting the state’s position as a regional fish hub.
Summarising the essence of the programme, NIRSAL’s lead trainer, Mr Baba Robert, urged the participants to adopt the Agro Geo-Cooperative® (AGC) model of primary production because it is a solution to the perennial difficulties farmers encounter in their attempts to access finance and produce at scale.
The AGC model, Robert said, encourages the coming together of farmers within the same geolocation, to give themselves structure, leadership, and financial identities which are critical for presenting a united front in the market, thereby ensuring they get commensurate reward for their efforts.
“With the large size of each AGC, its governance structure, and the clear financial identities of its members, the risk of lending is reduced for banks and other lenders, with NIRSAL available to further de-risk loans extended to the farmers with its Credit Risk Guarantee (CRG) instrument which stands at 75% for primary production projects,” he said.
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