FG, World Bank work out grants to agric cooperatives

·       Ginger, maize, dairy for Kaduna

The Federal Government and World Bank are working on how 10,000 registered agriculture cooperative groups will be given 200 million dollar grants in the six states of the federation under a programme tagged  Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement (APPEAL)so as to achieve empowerment and economic diversification to agriculture.

The Kaduna state coordinator of the project, Dr. Adamu Yakubu revealed this at the Institute for Agricultural Research Institute (IAR) Research Extension Farmer Input Linkages System (REFILs) held in Zaria.

He explained that the states which include Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Cross River and Kogi were expected to participate in the programme in three major priority crops of their choice with Kaduna focusing on ginger, maize and dairy. 

The APPEAL, said Yakubu, would be replacing the World Bank-FG commercial agriculture programme and that all the government support would be a grant to all the cooperative groups in the six states of the federation.