Niger Govt Lauds IFAD/VCDP Projects

women farmers at the IFAD/VCDP Projects

The Niger Government has commended the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) on cassava and rice in the State.

Alhaji Muhammed Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, gave the commendation recently when he received IFAD independent evaluators in the ministry in Minna.

“The IFAD/VCDP project has introduced best agricultural practices among our farmers. This makes us to be happy to partner with you.

“You have made our farmers  key into better ways of producing and processing cassava and rice,’’ he said.

Ibrahim said the programme had impacted positively on the small holder farmers as they had embraced modern farming implements and inputs.

He also said that the measure brought about modern techniques in agro-allied businesses.

“Agricultural marketers and producers in Niger have started imbibing modern agricultural practices in marketing and production,’’ he said.

He said the state was an agrarian and that the IFAD/VCDP project was a top priority of the government.

According to him, farming is a major business in the State and there is no alternative than to fund IFAD programmes to enable the farmers benefit.

The Permanent Secretary appealed to the Fund to assist the farmers with more farm inputs such as improved seedling and fertilisers.

He also called on IFAD to assist government on infrastructural development such as rural access roads to ease evacuation of farm produce to the market.

Earlier, Mr Mohamed Manai, the Funds Independent Senior Evaluator, who led the country programme evaluation team, said the delegation was in the State to evaluate IFAD programme.

“We need to know what has been achieved, what are the challenges, so as to proffer solution to them,’’ Manai said.

Manai enjoined the government to continue to provide its counterpart fund for sustainability of the programme.

He said that the programme was aimed at improving the living standard of the rural dwellers by alleviating poverty among them.

Also, Niger Programme Coordinator IFAD/VCDP, Dr Mathew Ahmed, said that the programme started on Aug. 18, 2014 in the state, adding that the programme, which has a five year lifespan, could be renewed for another five years.