Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau has announced the sum of N2.79 billion loan for farmers in the six North West States of Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
Addressing the Senate Press Corps in Abuja on Thursday, Barau who spoke through his Special Adviser on Policy and Monitoring, Professor Bashir Muhammad Fage said food security is at the top of the agenda of progressive nations globally.
“Without it, we are insecure at the individual, family, local government, state, and country level. If you recall, decades ago, the North, especially the Northwest, was our country’s foodbust, producing most of the agricultural products for the consumption of the people nationwide, and even for export to our neighboring country.
“However, that has become history. To change the narratives and harness the enormous arable land across the South and Northwestern states, I have developed the initiative to empower 500 people who are gifted young farmers for the first phase of the program. The Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the Northwest,” he said.
He said the aim is to use the vast arable land in the geopolitical zone to restore agricultural prominence and to achieve food security.
“My foundation, the Barau Agricultural Foundation, is partnering with relevant national financial institutions to implement this program. It will interest you to know that we have a serious commitment to the institution’s commitment.
“The arrangements for the program’s launch are almost complete. The initiatives targeted April to launch fully ahead of this year’s farming season. On that, the Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the Northwestern states will select three young farmers, from each of the 186 local government areas of the six states that comprise the northwest political bloc,” he said.
According to him, each selected beneficiary will receive a 5 million Naira loan to invest in planting during this year’s plabting season.
He said the total sum of 2.79 billion will be disbursed to 69 beneficiaries from Kaduna,
Kano 133, Kebbi 63, Katsina 102, Jigawa 81, Sokoto 69, and Zamfara 42.
“The beneficiaries of this scheme will be guided to cultivate maize and rice crops. This would essentially boost the desired yield for the two crops, reduce the cost of food items, and enhance food security throughout the year.
“In 2023, Nigeria produced about 8.9 billion metric tons of rice, the highest since 2010. However, this quantity is far too low to meet the actual needs of the continuously growing population. The central concept behind this scheme is in with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s New Hope agenda,” he said.
