To Boost Rice, Maize Production, Firm Pledges N309m To Farmers

An agricultural firm, Agrecourse, has said it is raising N309m to enable farmers in Kano and Kaduna states to cultivate 1,000 hectares of land for rice and maize production in 2019.

The firm noted that the partnership with the farmers would assist them “secure finance, improved seeds, tools and fertilizers for their produce, as well as provide ready markets after harvest.”

Our correspondent learnt that the firm in 2018 assisted farmers in Rivers and Ogun states on poultry production and fishery and it would focus on rice and maize production in 2019.

The Agrecourse Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ayoola Oluga, during an interview in Abuja, said its rice intervention in Kano State would take 200 hectares.

Oluga lamented that farmers in the country faced challenges of access to finance, quality inputs, seeds, farm operations and tools.

He said, “What we do is to assist farmers to have access to finance. We aid smallholder farmers. We are projecting to cultivate about 1,000 hectares in 2019 and move on to 10,000 hectares by 2021. The cultivation of 1,000 hectares brings us to an estimated cost of production of N309m.

“The single biggest challenge smallholder farmers in Nigeria have continued to face is access to finance to boost their farming operations. Most farmers operate at the subsistence level and it has been like that for many years.

“Another prominent challenge farmers face is access to the market and that is why at the point of harvest, there is always so much waste. This issue is sad, considering the fact that many food processing companies in Nigeria need the harvested produce. Most of these companies end up importing what is produced in Nigeria. This situation has greatly affected food production, farmer’s incomes, employment and agriculture’s contribution to economic growth.”

Oluga added that Agrecourse was working together with partners locally to raise funds and to source for markets for farmers’ produce.