Food Security: IFAD, Boost Rice, Cassava Productions In Enugu

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Monday, July 12th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Determined to ensure food Security and sufficiency in Enugu State, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), says it’s currently boosting rice and Cassava productions in the state via modern best practices.

The organization which is domiciled in the State Ministry of Agriculture and natural Resources, stressed that its target is to make Enugu the hub of the staple and cash crops in Nigeria.

Speaking with newsmen this weekend in Enugu during a media parley, the State Programme Coordinator SPC of IFAD’s Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), Dr. Edward Isiwu, said boosting the Agricultural sector remains the best way to guarantee food security in the country.

The Coordinator, who solicited for media partnership with the organization stated that if given the needed attention, the two major crops of rice and vitamin-A rich cassava, which his organization is dealing in, can eradicate hunger in the state as well as boost its economy.

Dr. Isiwu, disclosed that other value chain addition and derivatives from the two crops would also be made known to small-holder farmers.

According to him , technically, the IFAD-VCDP programme is using transfer of best agronomy and processing practices, market visibility/reach, extension services intervention and financial inclusion for farmers to achieve their target.

He added that part of IFAD-VCDP target is to first make the state sufficient in the crops and lift thousands of small-holder farmers out of hunger and poverty through best modern agricultural practices.

“Basically, IFAD-VCDP is targeting small-holder farmers belonging to farming organisations/cooperatives (mostly women and youths), having less than five hectares of farmlands for rice and cassava production.

He said “We are currently in nine states of the federation and Enugu State is among three states recently added to the programme.

“In Enugu State, we have selected five pilot council areas, based on established criteria, mapped out by the designers of IFAD-VCDP programme.

“The pilot council areas, producing these two crops, included: Aninri, Isi uzo and Nkanu East (for rice production and value chain addition) and, Enugu East and Udenu (for cassava production and value chain addition).

Dr. Isiwu stated that “We introduce and provide them with best agronomy practices, climate smart agriculture and other basic farm business knowledge at the group/organisational training or workshop level.

“Then we follow them to the farms by providing matching grant support for high-yielding and weather-friendly seedlings and agro-inputs that will increase the tons per hectare to about an additional 2.5 tons of any given rice or cassava farmland.

“Before going to the farmland proper, IFAD-VCDP has organised for committed off-takers and markets for these produce so that the farmers will get value for investment in good time and ensure continuous farming,’’ he said.

He hinted that the IFAD-VCDP programme commenced in the state in the last quarters of 2020.

The Coordinator disclosed that since the organization assumed operation in Enugu state, it had been able to engage a total of 104 small-holder farmers in the dry season between 2020/2021 farming period, especially in rice production.

He stated that the IFAD-VCDP dry season farming recorded huge success in the state.

“The yield of the small-holder farmers, who previously got 2.1 tonnes per hectare (a hectare is about the size of a football field), ended up harvesting between 4.5 and 4.7 tonnes per hectare of farmland.

“What is more astonishing is that some of these small-holder farmers have never engaged in dry season farming for rice before in their farming history.

“So, the magic was introduction to dry weather-resilient rice seedlings as well as other dry season favourable agro-inputs to enhance the yield per hectare,’’ he added.

African Examiner reports that IFAD-VCDP is a tripartite programme of IFAD, an organ of the United Nations UN, the Federal Government and participating state governments.

The programme is meant to boost modern agronomy practice and crop yield of small-holder farmers, reduce rural poverty and achieve accelerated economic growth on a sustainable basis.

Isiwu stressed that the overall objective of the programme is to ensure that incomes and food security of poor rural households engaged in production, processing, and marketing of rice and Cassava in the State are enhanced on a sustainable basis