262 Gombe, Yobe farmers receive N82.4m loan to boost food sufficiency
By Chima Azubuike, Gombe
No fewer than 262 Smallholder farmers under the USAID funded Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience activity on Tuesday, received credit facility to boost food sufficiency in the region, and the country in general.
Our correspondent reports that the farmers who are in three clusters comprised; Motherhen Farmers Akko Cooperative Society (107 members), Motherhen Farmers Kwami Cooperative Society (97 members) and Motherhen Farmers Yobe Cooperative Society (58 members).
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The beneficiaries received the disbursement at an event organised by Sterling Bank, and the Rural Resilience activity which is implemented by Mercy Corps, in collaboration with the International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC) and the Save the Children International.
The Sterling Bank and Mercy Corps interventions target smallholder farmers and microenterprises working in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors with a particular interest in young people and women. The scope covers maize, cowpea, groundnuts, rice production, and small ruminants. The partnership between the two organisations is expected to benefit more farmers groups in the targeted North-East states in the near future.
Speaking on the gains of the partnership Acting Country Director of Mercy Corps Nigeria Mrs Adesola Osuji, said the collaboration would ensure food sufficiency.
She revealed that the loan was in response to the rising food security due to the high cost of agro-inputs and high prices of foo, which are directly linked to the ongoing insecurity, the economic impact of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Osuji said, “Mercy Corps is committed to improving food security in Nigeria. This is underscored in our global and country strategies. The loan disbursement to the women-led farmers’ cooperatives will not only foster financial security and increase economic opportunities for the women but also contribute to advancing food security and and to breaking the bias against women. It will further project women as key stakeholders in the food industry.”
On her part, Mrs Margarita Aswani, the Chief of Party, Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity said the loan would support more farmers in the region towards economic prosperity.
“We are proud to be working hand in hand with Sterling Bank to support more than 204 maize producers and nearly 300 hectares of land in Akko and Kwami LGAs of Gombe State, as well as 58 cowpea producers in Yobe State to access agricultural inputs and tractors to increase land productivity and jointly tackle food insecurity We look forward to ensuring that more farmers in the North East continue to gain access to finance and working capital,” Aswani said.
Speaking during the disbursement the Group Head, Agric Finance & Solid Minerals Group of Sterling Bank, Dr. Olushola Obikanye, lauded Mercy Corps for their confidence in the Bank’s capability to drive the initiative successfully.
According to Obikanye, “Sterling Bank is proud to lead this critical effort at rebuilding the economic fortunes of Northeast Nigeria by providing appropriate and demand driven financial services that align with the aspirations of women and young people in the region and across Nigeria who are often excluded from financial services.
“This partnership will significantly improve the living standards of farmers and other vulnerable people by boosting food sufficiency and poverty reduction as a prerequisite for de-escalation of insecurity and conflict in the North-East.
Also speaking, 30-year-old Umar Hussaini, from Akko local government is one of the beneficiaries. Hussaini, who is a Person With Disability said the loan would boost his farming activities.
Hussaini said, “I have 10 workers in my three hectare farmland. I planted maize and beans, what I usually do is to monitor them. With this loan there will be improvement in our activities.”
