Deputy Senate President launches ₦2.79 billion initiative for North West farmers

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja

In a move to revive agriculture in the seven North West states, the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Barau Jibrin, has unveiled a plan to empower 558 young farmers with ₦2.79 billion under the Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN).

Addressing journalists at the National Assembly on Thursday, Senator Barau, represented by his Special Adviser on Policy and Monitoring, Professor Bashir Muhammad Fagge, explained that BIARN aims to restore the region’s agricultural prominence and achieve food security.

He noted that the initiative, which aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, will select three young farmers from each of the 186 local government areas across Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara states. Each of the beneficiaries, he added, will receive an interest-free ₦5 million loan to invest in farming this season.

“The North West was once Nigeria’s food basket, but production levels have declined over the years,” he said, adding that “to change the narrative and harness our vast arable land, I have developed this initiative to empower young farmers and boost agricultural productivity.”

The Barau I. Jibrin Foundation (BIJF), which is spearheading the initiative, is collaborating with a national financial institution to implement the programme. According to Senator Barau, discussions with the institution’s management have been fruitful, and final arrangements for the project’s launch in April 2025 are near completion.

A breakdown of the beneficiaries shows Kano with 132, Katsina with 102, Jigawa with 81, Kaduna with 69, Sokoto with 69, Kebbi with 63, and Zamfara with 42.

The beneficiaries will focus on cultivating maize and rice, the Deputy President of the Senate said, while emphasising that though Nigeria produced 8.9 million metric tonnes of paddy rice in 2023, it is still insufficient to meet growing demand. Hence, the initiative’s aim is to bridge that gap by empowering young farmers with financial support and guidance.

Barau also disclosed that an implementation committee chaired by Professor Fagge has already engaged in extensive discussions with the partnering financial institution, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) set to be signed next week.

He urged Nigerians to support the project’s success, saying, “If we achieve food security, we will have solved more than half of our nation’s challenges. Let’s work together for the benefit of all.”