Food Security: Dutch-funded Agric Programme Targets 60,000 Kaduna, Kano Farmers

Horti Nigeria, a Dutch-funded programme has targeted 60,000 vegetable farmers in Kaduna and Kano states for gender and youth inclusive horticulture development to contribute to the food and nutrition security in the country.

The Agripreneur is also to end waste of perishable farm produce through linkage between farmers and marketers.

Feyikemi Adurogbangha, the communication coordinator of the program said out of the number, 50 percent of youths and 40 percent of women will be introduced to eco-efficient agronomic practices.

He said the aim was to increase acreage under sustainable cultivation by 15,000 hectares and reduce seasonal risks by promoting innovations and crop diversification to 2,000 entrepreneurial farmers.

“The programme will also increase access to finance for 50 small and medium agricultural enterprises and enhance sector coordination, which will facilitate 200 business-to-business linkage in all four states of Nigeria,” he said.

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The coordinator said the programme is being implemented in Kaduna, Kano, Ogun and Oyo states, targeting four crops including Tomatoes, Onion, Cabbage, Cucumber, Okra, pepper and watermelon value chains.

He said the three-day vegetable-sourcing mission hosted several participants across the vegetable chain, focusing some of the program’s agribusiness clusters centred around the Tomato Jos processing plant with proximity to Igabi in Kaduna state.

According to one of the Horti Nigeria’s component Leads on Sector Coordination and Business to Business linkages, Abdullahi Umar, “Not only do we want to achieve increased productivity as a program, we also want to build a viable horticulture value chain where various participants work together to harness it’s potential.

“Also, with urban living becoming more popular, dietary tastes are changing, resulting in a rising number of vegetable consumers.

Umar who welcomed the ban on importation of fertilizer by the federal government however advocated the lifting of ban on soluble fertilizer used by greenhouse farmers, since it is not produced in the country.