The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has commenced the distribution of processing and post-harvest equipment to farmers and agribusiness groups supported under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Nasarawa State.
The ceremony, held in Lafia, formed part of a two-day working visit to the state by the minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari.
Kyari said the intervention was designed to add value across the agricultural value chain, empower women and youth farmers, encourage competitiveness and deepen market participation.
According to him, the distribution of the equipment would stimulate enterprise growth, enhance agro-processing capacity, and strengthen rural livelihoods.
He explained that the programme, implemented in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), targets key structural constraints in the rice and cassava value chains through integrated investments in production, aggregation, processing, infrastructure, market access and institutional strengthening.
Kyari noted that the initiative aligns with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) and the broader agricultural reform agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration.
He said, “Agriculture must deliver results, food for our people, jobs for our youth, income for our farmers and stability for our nation
“Under Mr President’s leadership, agriculture is being transformed into a modern, market-oriented and private-sector-driven enterprise, with Nasarawa State emerging as a leading example,” he said.
The minister highlighted the establishment of the Nasarawa Agro-Commodity Company (NASACCO) and the One-Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) as strategic initiatives that are improving the state’s investment climate, while commending Governor Abdullahi Sule for prioritising large-scale cultivation to boost domestic food supply, stabilise prices, conserve foreign exchange, and create jobs.
In his remarks, the governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, said the state had aligned its agricultural programmes with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, particularly in the areas of economic diversification and wealth creation for farmers.
He noted that ongoing reforms in the sector were empowering youth and women, increasing production and expanding the state’s internally generated revenue.
Earlier, the national coordinator of the FGN/IFAD-VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu, said the programme supports rice and cassava smallholder farmers through a value-chain approach that enhances productivity, promotes agro-processing and improves access to markets.
She added that the initiative is helping to transform rural agriculture by improving food security, raising incomes and creating employment opportunities.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, chairman of the Ashangwa Rice Innovation Platform, Mrs Patience Wombo, pledged that beneficiaries would properly maintain and safeguard all equipment provided under the programme to ensure sustained increases in production, packaging and distribution.
As part of the visit, the minister also commissioned several VCDP projects in Lafia, including the Value Chain Innovation Rice Processing Centre in Ashangwa, the Gidi-Gidi Garri Processing Centre and the Agi Alo Rice Processing Centre.
According to a statement by the ministry’s head of Information Department, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, highlights of the visit included the distribution of agricultural inputs comprising 46 tricycles, 16 rice steam parboiling machines, 18 rice milling machines, 10 rice de-stoning machines, three rice colour-sorting machines, 11 digital weighing scales, two rice de-husking machines, four cassava grating machines, four cassava manual fryers, three automated framers and three hydraulic presses.
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