IFAD targets 30, 000 farmers in extended programme in Niger

The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD ) assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), will target 30,000 farmers in Niger stare within the next three years.

The Fund recently extended its programme for three more years in order to address dry season farming and propel the state into a rice processing zone of international standard, the Niger State Coordinator, Dr. Mathew Ahmed disclosed.

Speaking at Value Chain Development Programme Additional Financing (VCDPAF) State Sensitization and Mobilization visit held at the Niger state Ministry of Agriculture in Minna, Ahmed said that the project, which is supposed to round up in December 2019, was extended to December 2022.

He said that Edati, Mokwa and Borgu local government areas will be included in the Additional Financing programme, bringing the number of local government areas where VCDP is being implemented in the state to eight.

“The target of the VCDP Additional Financing is to address dry season farming, provision of tube wells, irrigation facilities and common users’ infrastructure as well as the construction of roads and supporting processing activities to ensure that the rice processed in Niger state meets international standard,” he said.

According to him, the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has trained 22,000 farmers including 16,500 youths and 7,200 women within the last three years.

The Permanent Secretary of the Niger state Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Garba Musa Ibrahim commended the IFAD-VCDP for extending the programme year and increasing the number of participating local government areas to eight.