More than 500 farmers in Anambra State have received agricultural equipment under the Federal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development Value Chain Development Programme (FGN/IFAD-VCDP) to improve productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and increase rural incomes.
The equipment, distributed by the state Ministry of Agriculture, includes 49 tricycles, 84 power tillers, 80 solar-powered water pumps, 200 knapsack sprayers and fertiliser applicators, as well as 29 sets of cassava-processing equipment and 10 sets of rice-processing equipment.
Cooking demonstration equipment was also provided for 50 women to promote improved food preparation and nutrition practices.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Awka on Monday, the State Programme Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Deborah Onyefulu, said the intervention was designed to strengthen agricultural value chains by supporting women, youths and persons with disabilities.
She said the programme aimed to increase the income of rural farmers, create employment opportunities, reduce poverty and contribute to the state’s internally generated revenue.
According to her, the equipment support forms part of efforts to promote inclusive participation in agriculture and improve the livelihoods of rural farming communities sustainably.
Onyefulu warned beneficiaries against selling the equipment, disclosing that a monitoring team had been established to ensure the items were used for their intended purposes.
She urged the farmers to take ownership of the equipment and use them to improve their agricultural activities.
Also speaking, the member representing Aguata Constituency II in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Anthony Muobike, urged the beneficiaries to use the equipment judiciously to achieve the objectives of the intervention.
Muobike commended Gov. Chukwuma Soludo for supporting the programme and promoting sustainable agricultural development in the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Chinwe Achugbu, represented by Mrs Ify Onyenwe, commended VCDP for its interventions, saying they had contributed to improving farmers’ livelihoods.
She also appreciated the state government for creating an enabling environment for agricultural development.
The Acting State Agricultural Production Officer for Value Chain, Mr Matthew Okafor, said beneficiaries were selected through liaison officers across the nine local government areas participating in the programme.
He explained that the equipment was provided under a cost-sharing arrangement in which beneficiaries contributed 30 per cent of the cost, while the government covered the remaining 70 per cent.
Okafor advised farmers to request only equipment relevant to their needs, stressing that the items should be allocated to those who genuinely required them.
“There is no need collecting equipment you do not need. Instead, we give them to those in need of them,” he said.
In her remarks, the Acting Business and Market Development Officer of VCDP in Anambra, Mrs Mary Obiekwe, said 50 selected farmers would each receive a tricycle to ease the transportation of agricultural produce from farms to markets.
She explained that poor transportation and limited access to remote farming communities had contributed to post-harvest losses, particularly among farmers operating in rural areas.
According to her, the provision of tricycles would improve mobility, facilitate the movement of farm produce and increase productivity.
“Before now, these farmers experienced harvest losses due to a lack of mobility and access to remote hinterlands.
“With the distribution of these tricycles, there will be seamless transportation and increased productivity,” she said.
Obiekwe urged beneficiaries to maintain the equipment properly to ensure its durability and sustainability.
She also encouraged them to cultivate a savings culture to enable them to replace the tricycles when they depreciated.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Onyebuchi Okoli of the Destiny Farmers Cooperative in Isuaniocha, Awka North Local Government Area, said the tricycle would improve the transportation of her farm produce.
Okoli, who specialises in vegetable, cassava and fish farming, expressed appreciation to the programme for the equipment and capacity-building support.
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She said the training provided by the programme had helped farmers understand how agriculture could improve their livelihoods.
“They taught us how farming can improve our livelihoods. If a farmer remains poor, it is because the farmer has decided to remain so,” she said.
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