TheCable

The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) says it has empowered 475 female cassava farmers in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.

In a statement, the agency said the farmers were structured into a group which named “The Uyo Women Agro Geo-Cooperative”.

They were reportedly trained on Good Agronomic Practices and equipped with various inputs for their use.

“In addition, all 478 hectares of land will be mechanized throughout the planting season to enhance yields & profits and eliminate the drudgery of farming with crude implements,” the statement read.

“Furthermore, members of the Uyo Women AGC will receive finance through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) for which NIRSAL Plc is playing a critical role as a Participating Financial Institution (PFI) in ensuring that the CBN’s and indeed the Federal Government’s developmental and economic diversification goals are met.”

Theresa Thompson Akpan, president of the Uyo Women AGC, described the CBN’s support through NIRSAL as a milestone in enhancing cassava production in the state.

She tasked farmers under the Uyo Women AGC to embrace NRSAL Plc’s approach of farming as a business in order to move from peasant farming to sustainable agribusiness. She thanked NIRSAL Plc for harnessing the female farmers’ potential and for its continued support of agribusiness in Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking through Helen Akula, head of NIRSAL Plc’s Akwa Ibom project Monitoring, Reporting and Remediation Office (PMRO), Aliyu Abdulhameed, the organization’s managing director, said NIRSAL Plc’s support of Uyo Women AGC will not only empower the 475 farmers of the AGC but will create jobs for many families in the community.

He added that through the ABP, the farmers’ door to commercial financing had been unlocked, thereby paving the way for a better-quality life.

“The input you received today is not a grant but a loan that must be paid back for other farmers to also benefit from. I have faith in you all that together as a team every kobo will be repaid with ample profit left in the bank for you to enjoy the fruits of your labour,” he said.