Abuja, Nov. 14, 2024 – Nigeria has secured a $134m loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to boost seeds and grain production in the country.
Eremah Anthonia, the Chief Information Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this in the statement on Thursday,
The statement quoted Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, to have said this during the flag-off of the 2024/2025 National Dry Season Farming initiative in Calabar.
The minister said the reintroduction of the national dry season farming was key to ensuring all year-round agricultural production in the country.
He also said the loan would be instrumental in guaranteeing national food security as it would support increased production of critical crops such as wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, soybean and cassava.
He said the loan would be used to fund part of the National Agricultural Growth Support Scheme.
Kyari said the Federal Government had already declared an emergency on food production to ensure Nigerians would have access to affordable, nutritious food.
On the 2023/2024 dry season programme, he said the federal government had supported 107,429 wheat farmers under phase 1, 43,997 rice farmers under phase 2, and an additional 192,095 farmers growing rice, maize, sorghum, millet, soybean, and cassava.
The minister said the federal government had picked Cross River State for the pivotal role in Nigeria’s wheat production, adding that over 3,000 wheat farmers in the state would benefit from the AfDB loan. (GBN)
