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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has announced plans to engage 5 million small-holder farmers for the next phase of the Agro 2.0 scheme.
The Head of Strategy and Planning, National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), Adebanke Fajana, spoke during
the NADF-Farm input supply programme roundtable engagement with processors, yesterday, in Lagos.
Fajana said NADF is leveraging the organised private sector, which is the processors, to reach small-holder farmers.
She added that NADF is working with the processors to ensure that some of the challenges, bottlenecks, or lessons taken from the field in its pilot phase, can be curated for coordinated and improved iteration of the scheme.
“We have a very robust system of monitoring and evaluation, where we have regional monitors, we have state monitors, which have put on ground that go into the field to look at what the cultivation level is, what the input usage is, adoption of good agronomic practices, and a lot of other things to ensure that not only do we just dispense or make provisions for this input.
“We also ensure proper impute utilization and good agronomic practices adoption for the end-users,” Fajana said.
Also NADF Executive Secretary, Mohammed Ibrahim, assured farmers that the intervention on supply of inputs would boost crop harvest.
Ibrahim charged farmers on the modalities to strengthen the country’s agricultural input supply and productivity.
Represented by NADF Head, Corporate Services, Abiodun Sosanya, he said: “As we reflect on the implementation of the first phase of this programme the NADF remains firmly committed to evidence-based learning and continuous process improvement for optimal efficiency in the delivery of our mandate.
Ibrahim, also admitted that the pilot scheme of the intervention faced some challenges that affected planting cycles and expected yields.
“These challenges are real, and they underscore the complexity of implementing agricultural interventions such as the NADF-Farm Inputs Supply program,” he said.
He, however, reaffirmed NADF’s commitment to partner with processors in ensuring accountability and continuous process improvements in all its interventions.
He, therefore, called on the processors to engage the Fund for robust and practical outcomes to help NADF come up with better support input systems, agricultural productivity and national agricultural transformation at large.
“The NADF remains optimistic that your insights, experiences, and recommendations will play an important role in shaping a more efficient, transparent, and climate-responsive second phase of the program – ensuring better impact and sustainability,” he added.
The Chief Executive Officer of Vemac Farms Limited, Oyo State, Femi Ojelade, said processors, smallholder farmers and the government must work together to improve food security in Nigeria.
In addition, he urged the NADF to ensure that processors get inputs ahead of the farming season.
“We understand it’s the first phase. But the second phase; they have to work assiduously to make sure that most processors actually get their input at least a month before the planting season,” Ojelade said.
Also, Managing Director, Arog Bio Allied Agro Services Limited, Aroge Temitope, said the scheme would ensure free flow of raw materials along with the agribusiness value-chain.
He said: “So, for us, it’s a good project and its actually very supportive of food security and wealth creation in the rural areas.”
According to him, the project came in timely, and has enabled his company to access input and support for its outgrower base. He said that his company was able to cultivate for 2025, 2026 season by leveraging the NADF Agro 1.0 in terms of having enough cassava across three states of Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti States.
