Nirsal Empowers Over 2,000 Farmers in Imo, Three Others

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Over 2,000 farmers in Imo, Sokoto, Oyo, and Kwara States have been empowered by NIRSAL Plc through its mid-year training programme put together to boost the capacities of participants to access and repay commercial loans.

In addition to the formation of functional cooperatives with proper governance structures, the training programme also discussed readiness for possible protocol breaches and early warning systems.

In Imo State, where no less than 500 participants assembled in two locations—one urban and one rural, the focus was on efficient models for fish production. It was the same in Sokoto State, while the Oyo and Kwara outings focused on cassava.

The Head of Value Chain Capacity Development at NIRSAL, Mr Ibrahim Suleiman, said that the capacity development programme, which is part of the Technical Assistance offered by the organisation to agricultural value chain actors under its Technical Assistance pillar, was happening simultaneously in three other states spanning four Geo-political zones.

According to Mr Suleiman, lead farmers and extension agents in aquaculture and cassava were similarly gathered at two urban and rural locations in Sokoto, Oyo, and Kwara States, and they are expected to cascade the training to an estimated 6,000 farmers across the states.

The NIRSAL teams received warm reception and commendations in locations, including from the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development the Akinyele Local Government Chairman in Oyo State, and the Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Farmers’ Interventions, among others.

The Imo State House of Assembly Committee Chairman on Agriculture, Mr Uche Agabige, lauded NIRSAL for including the state in this round of the capacity-building programme, with the belief that it would complement local efforts aimed at boosting agricultural productivity in the state.

Participants who spoke after the lectures said that they were delighted at the new insights they gained, pledging to share same with members of their various cooperatives.

NIRSAL Plc is an initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) established to de-risk agriculture and agribusiness financing in Nigeria, to stimulate the flow of finance and investment into the agricultural value chain from multiple sources.