USAID scaling up the production of groundnut and cowpea

United State Agency for International Development (USAID) in its determination to ensure future food security in Nigeria has already commenced financing plan to scale up the production of groundnut and cowpea in five and three pilot states respectively in the country  with ICRISAT and IITA driving the programme in holistic manner of value addition through processing and marketing.

The groundnut scaling up according to the USAID programme is meant for Sokoto, Kebbi, Kastina, Jigawa, and Kano while cowpea is for Sokoto, Kano and katsina all in the North West geo political region.

In a meeting held last month of Tahir Guest Place, Kano where stakeholders brainstorm on gray areas of production, processing and marketing that could be injected into the programme for the purpose of better competitive products that will enhance the economic power of farmers and other people at the value chain of groundnut and cowpea is to be sponsored USAID. 

The programme will promote the use of improved varieties of groundnut and cowpea among the farmers with other modern technologies that will enhance standard quality in a competitive global market just as demonstration techniques will be adopted to train farmers, processors and marketers in all the participating states.