In a bid to boost agricultural development in Enugu state, the International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP) and Enugu State Government have distributed farm inputs worth millions of naira to rural farmers in Enugu.
The distribution tagged “2025 Wet Season Agro-Inputs Distribution Flag-Off” in Enugu was held at IFAD/VCDP office in Enugu.
Some of the items distributed to farmers include bags of rice seeds, Urea and NPK fertilisers, water pump with solar, herbicides of selective and non selective, bundles of cassava stems amongst others.
The VCDP is a joint initiative between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and IFAD aimed at enhancing income and food security for poor rural households involved in cassava and rice value chain.
Flagging-off the distribution, Gov. Peter Mbah, thanked farmers in state, noting there was a significant improvement in agricultural sector since his administration came on board.
According to him, production has increased due to various interventions his administration had put in place to ensure there are enough food for Enugu people.
Mbah, represented by the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Mr Patrick Ubru, added that the programme was made possible because his administration paid counterpart fund to sustain VCDP in the state.
“IFAD-VCDP is a segment of farmers in the state that my administration is carrying on interventions,” he said.
He commended the State Programme Coordinator IFAD/VCDP, Dr Edward Isiwu, for early distribution of the agro-Inputs, encouraging farmers to utilise the opportunity.
The governor disclosed that the state would soon launch bigger farm inputs distribution across various value chain in the state.
Speaking also, the National Programme Coordinator, Dr Fatima Aliyu, stressed that giving inputs to farmers was the core activities of the programme in Nigeria.
She said that farmers constituted the first frontline stakeholders of the programme as they were the producers of raw material and processors which downstream marketer use.
“Coincidentally, they constitute the majority of our beneficiaries because the producers are the largest in number that we have among our beneficiaries, followed by processors and marketers,” she explained.
The national coordinator therefore, expressed profound gratitude to the government of Enugu State, for supporting the programme through payment of counterpart fund.
Aliyu, represented by Musa Dalang, the Rural Institution, Gender and Youth Development Specialist, IFAD-VCDP, Abuja, however, advised the farmers to leverage on their two years support to sustainably remain in the business.
“This programme has showcase to you that agriculture is a business.
“There are so many value chains that we have identified, developed and supported our farmers with, and today, we have various entrepreneurs, along the value chains.
“As you get this inputs timely, don’t waste time to put them into use . We have trained you on good agronomics practice, use this knowledge to plant your crops and manage your fields,” she advised.
Earlier, Isiwu explained that the agro inputs distributed was to enable farmers start production, adding that VCDP in Enugu spread across five Council Areas of Aninri, Udenu, Nkanu East, Isi Uzo and Enugu East.
“So with this Flag-off, Enugu State has started wet farming season and as we are here, the agro dealers has already taken some of these inputs to a designated centres in these five Council Areas to bring them closer to farmers.
“I am happy that we stated early this year unlike other years. Enugu state as one of the nine states of VCDP in Nigeria is the only state that has done their flag off for 2025.
“I thank our National Coordinator for always approving my requests as well as Gov. Mbah and Ubru for their passion for development of agriculture in Enugu through support to farmers,” Isiwu said.
The programme coordinator further said that under IFAD-VCDP, the profiled farmers in Enugu State were 8, 753 as at April 2025 which were grouped into various farmer cooperatives of about 10 to 25 in each.
“We have built over 86 boreholes from 2022 till date, 32 market stores, 34 market stalls across markets in five Council Areas, 21 mini bridges, 67 tricycles distributed last season and we are going to do more this year,” he added.
A Lead farmer in Aninri Council Area, Mr Ignatius Onyeabor, who spoke on behalf of farmers said they always receive inputs from the coordinator and pledged that they would make good use of wet season inputs given to them.