The Africa Foundation For Agricultural Development (AFADEV) says it is partnering with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to give loans to 6,000 farmers in Edo to boost food production.
Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, the Edo Coordinator for AFADEV made the disclosure on Monday in Auchi, Etsako West Local Govetnment Area of Edo during a meeting with farmers across the Edo North Senatorial District.
Mohammed said that the CBN had already given AFADEV the go ahead to mop up 6,000 farmers in Edo that would benefit from the loan.
“AFADEV has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CBN and we have been given the go ahead to register farmers in Edo.
“In Edo State 6,000 farmers are to benefit from AFADEV /CBN loan,” he said.
Mohammed noted that the proposed loan would be used for land preparation; seedlings, fertilisers and farm inputs to enable them cultivate and produce food for self sufficient and export.
“AFADEV is standing in between the farmers and the CBN.
“Whatever the farmers produce would be bought by AFADEV to be exported, in which the loan taken from CBN would be pay back,” the coordinator said.
The Edo AFADEV coordinator said that the expected loan to the farmers would be used in the area of cultivation of cassava, millet, rice, yam, oil palm and fishery.
He urged farmers in Edo to key into the programme to ensure food sufficiency in the country in line with the Federal Government Agenda to boost food production in the country.
“AFADEV is becoming a major player in African agricultural development with the empowerment of rural communities in other to create more jobs in Nigerian local communities.
It will also reduce hunger and poverty as well as boost economic development of the people,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AFADEV is an NGO with its primary objective to mobilise, train and empower people for agricultural revolution in Africa.
Its aim is to transfer the grassroots agriculture from subsistence based to a commercially competitive sector.
AFADEV currently operates in 14 states of the Federation with its headquarters in Abuja. (NAN)
GE/ENN/AFA
