Niger govt urges farmers to own, protect farm inputs as IFAD-VCDP flags off wet season distribution
Priscilla Ben
The Niger State Government has urged farmers to take ownership of farm equipment and agricultural inputs provided to them, stressing that proper use and maintenance of the items will boost food production and improve livelihoods
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Isah Sidi Rijau, made the call during the 2026 wet season agro-input distribution exercise under the Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development (FG/IFAD), Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Doko and Busu communities of Lavun Local Government Area of the state.
Rijau said beneficiaries of the programme should treat the equipment and facilities built for them as their own, noting that government-owned assets are often poorly maintained compared to privately owned property.
He also charged traditional rulers and host communities to make effective use of the processing centres, market stores fertilisers, herbicides, improved seeds, cassava cuttings and other agricultural inputs to increase productivity and improve their economic wellbeing.
Representing the National Coordinator of VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu, the Environment and Climate Change Officer, Alhaji Nura Lawan said no nation can achieve sustainable development without food security.
He described Niger as one of the best-performing among the nine states participating in the programme and urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the inputs and infrastructure provided for their communities.
Earlier, the VCDP State Programme Coordinator (SPC), Hajiya Hadizat Isah, disclosed that the programme would distribute 2,982 litres of herbicides, 2,422 bags of NPK fertiliser, 567 bags of urea, 687 kilograms of FARO 44 rice seeds and 684 bundles of TME 419 cassava cuttings for the cultivation of 700 hectares.
She said a total of 1,032 farmers drawn from the programme’s nine participating local government areas would benefit from the 2026 wet season intervention.
Isah urged the beneficiaries to maximise the use of the inputs to enhance agricultural productivity, noting that Lavun was the last local government area to join the programme in the state.
” We are here to give farming inputs on a 50/50 ratios to 1,032 VCDP farmers in the state. The processing centres and market stores being commissioned is expected to assist their farming business. We are giving more focus to Lavun local government to enable them feel the impact of the programme,” the SPC stated. .
Some beneficiaries from Doko and Busu communities, including persons with special needs, commended the VCDP for the support and pledged to utilise the inputs to expand their farming activities.
One of the beneficiaries, Kadijat Suleiman, expressed appreciation to the programme for ensuring that persons with special needs were included in the distribution, promising to use the support to improve and expand her farming business.
