No fewer than 52,000 women and youth farmers have received agro inputs from the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), in collaboration with Palm Valley Nigeria Limited (PVNL) for the 2024 wet season farming on Thursday in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The beneficiaries were drawn from Nasarawa, Benue and Kaduna States.
The gesture, which was in collaboration with the Integrated Community-led Network of Hope (ICON2), Project, targeted 1,733 groups across the affected states.
The items donated at the event, which also included the onboarding of 420 new cluster and peer leaders, were UREA, NPK Golden Fertiliser 20-10-10; Faro 67; Aflatoxin; Samaz 55 Maize; Pre and Post emergence Herbicides, among others in the three target states.
The groups are expected to produce 1,733 hectares of rice and maize in the ongoing bid to ensure food sufficiency in the target states.
Recall that WOFAN had partnered PVNL to implement its ICON2 project funded by the Mastercard Foundation, which is designed to provide decent and fulfilling job opportunities to 10 million youth farmers and processors between 18 and 35 years in the next five years through a sustainable agricultural growth and economic development in Nigeria.
Speaking at the occasion, founder and executive director of WOFAN, Hajia Salamatu Garba said that the ICON2 project is a five years initiative aimed at strengthening agricultural enterprise value chains, generating employment opportunities for 675,000 youths and enhancing income for women and youth farmers and processors.
She noted that the agro inputs being provided started with the initial flag off for 65,000 hectares in Nasarawa but in total it will reach a total of 1,733 hectares under the Palm Valley support to farmers in three states.
“My advice to the farmers is to appreciate supports like this and make good use of them to increase their means of livelihood,” she said.
Salamatu further stated that “ if any farmer uses these inputs properly, the farmer is going to get improved yields because we have provided all they need to have a successful wet season farming,” she said.
On his part, the project manager and chief executive officer of Palm Valley Nigeria Limited, Ezekiel Jatau, urged the women to always prioritise their self-development and that of the children.
He called on the husbands to always support their wives in any endeavours they find themselves in.