FG Distributes Processing, Post-Harvest Equipment to Boost Agribusiness in Nasarawa

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has commenced the distribution of processing and post-harvest equipment to farmers and agribusiness groups supported under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Nasarawa State.

The distribution was flagged off during a two-day working visit to Lafia by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari. He said the intervention is designed to add value to agricultural produce, reduce post-harvest losses, empower women and youth farmers, enhance competitiveness, and boost productivity.

According to the Minister, the equipment will also support enterprise growth, deepen market participation, and expand opportunities for rural employment across the state.

Senator Kyari explained that the programme, implemented in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), targets key structural challenges in the rice and cassava value chains through integrated investments in production, aggregation, processing, infrastructure, market access, and institutional strengthening. He noted that the initiative aligns with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP).

He reaffirmed the programme’s alignment with the agricultural transformation agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, stressing that agriculture must deliver tangible outcomes. “Agriculture must deliver results—food for our people, jobs for our youth, income for our farmers, and stability for our nation,” he said.

The Minister added that under President Tinubu’s leadership, agriculture is being repositioned as a modern, market-oriented, and private-sector-driven enterprise, with Nasarawa State emerging as a leading example.

Senator Kyari also highlighted the Nasarawa Agro-Commodity Company (NASACCO) and the One-Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) as key initiatives strengthening the state’s investment climate. He commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for his commitment to large-scale cultivation aimed at boosting domestic food supply, stabilising prices, conserving foreign exchange, and creating jobs.

He pointed to visible outcomes of strong federal–state collaboration, including functional aggregation centres, modern processing facilities, and strengthened producer organisations. “These interventions are creating jobs, stabilising rural incomes, and strengthening Nasarawa State’s contribution to national food security,” he said.

In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Sule said the state government has aligned its agricultural programmes with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, focusing on economic diversification and wealth creation for Nigerian farmers. He noted that ongoing reforms in the sector would empower youth and women farmers, increase production, and boost internally generated revenue.

Earlier, the National Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme, Dr Fatima Aliyu, said the programme supports rice and cassava smallholder farmers through a value chain approach to enhance productivity, promote agro-processing, and improve access to markets. She added that the initiative is contributing to food security, higher incomes, and job creation in rural Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Chairman of the Ashangwa Rice Innovation Platform, Mrs Patience Wombo, pledged that the association would properly maintain and safeguard all equipment provided under the VCDP to ensure increased production, packaging, and distribution of agricultural products.

During the visit, the Minister also commissioned several FGN/IFAD–VCDP projects in Lafia, including the Value Chain Innovation Rice Processing Centre in Ashangwa, the Gidi Gidi Garri Processing Centre, and the Agi Alo Rice Processing Centre, among others.

Highlights of the two-day working visit included the distribution of agricultural inputs comprising 46 tricycles, 16 rice steam parboiling machines, 18 rice milling machines, 10 rice destoning machines, three rice colour sorting machines, 11 digital weighing scales, two rice dehusking machines, four cassava grating machines, four cassava manual fryers, three automated framers, three hydraulic pressers, as well as a courtesy visit to the Governor of Nasarawa State.