IFAD-Assisted Programme Contributes $56m Into Nigeria’s GDP

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) contributed 56 million dollars into Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product in the 2017 production season.
IFAD Nigeria Country Programme Officer, Dr Ben Odoemena said this on Monday in Abuja at the mid-term review of the programme.
Odoemena explained that 9.2 million dollars of the money was injected into Benue through the IFAD programme beneficiaries, thereby saving the country the foreign exchange that would have been expended on rice importation.
The officer said that 15,000 tonnes of paddy rice were produced while 10,000 jobs were created during the period under review.
‘‘In Benue alone, more than 3,000 jobs were created and overall, 10,000 jobs has been created, comprising paid jobs of more than 7,000.
‘‘This laudable goal was achieved due to the political will of the participating state governments and this has gone a long way to boost rice and cassava production in the country,’’ he said.
He stressed that aside supporting farmers, the programme had resulted in the construction of feeder roads to enable farmers to access their rice and cassava farms.
He said the programme also constructed modern rice mills in states to enhance its quality.
Odoemena said that more attention was now being focused on meeting the food needs of the country as well as earning more foreign exchange from exports and to diversify the nation’s economy.
He said in all the participating states the programme had opened the floodgates of opportunities for rice and cassava farmers and improved their livelihood.
“Looking at it critically, all the beneficiaries, mostly the youths, formed into cluster groups are now enjoying sustainable growth and yields in their annual returns from their investments.
“This could be attested to by the number of youths who attested to the success stories in all the participating local government areas,’’ he said.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator, Dr. Ameh Onoja, described the programme as a success story because it had empowered so many youths going by the assessment.
He said that 45,000 farmers in the six participating states of Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun and Taraba had in the last three years embraced rice and cassava farming.
Of that number some of them engaged processing and marketing, to develop sustainable Value Chains for the two commodities.
Onoja said that the various interventions of the programme had significantly contributed to increased production, productivity, boosting income levels.
He also said that there had been enhanced value addition and market opportunities, as well as access to quality seed and planting materials among rice and cassava producers, processors and marketers in all the participating states.