In its continuous efforts to support Nigerian farmers under the FADAMA project, the World Bank is to establish Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AERE), in Garkawa, Pankshin and Jos.

The National FADAMA Coordinator, Mr. Tayo Adewunmi, made this revelation at the flag-off ceremony for dry season rice production at Kalong, Shendam Local Government of Plateau State.

Adewunmi informed that each centre will have tractors and other implement to be managed by Federation of FADAMA Farmers Community Associations (FFCA). The farmers are expected to pay 35 per cent of the total cost.

In the course of implementing the FADAMA programme in Plateau State, 22 numbers of tomato production clusters made up of 222 production groups were funded, while 11 rain-fed rice production clusters with 222 productions groups were also funded to the tune of N99 million naira.

In all, about 4,355 farmers are benefitting across the rice and tomato value chains.

Under the Word Bank finance facilitated by the Federal Government, the farmers enjoy holistic support in the area of capacity building, input and advisory services support, assets acquisition and rural infrastructural support.

The infrastructural component include the rehabilitation of identified dams and construction of six rural roads totalling 17km in Shedam, Langtang South, Kanke, Mangu, Bassa and Jos East LGAs, which will ease the transportation challenges presently faced by our rural farmers.

Also, Plateau State FADAMA farmers have been commended for independently setting up the first ever microfinance bank entirely owned by farmers in Nigeria.

Making this commendation at the opening of FADAMA Farmers’ Microfinance Bank in Jos, Plateau State, was the National Project Coordinator, Mr. Tayo Adewunmi, who conveyed the appreciation of the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to farmers in Plateau State for the “major feat, which is one of its kind in Nigeria and second to that of Kenya in Africa, where a bank is owned 100 per cent by farmers.”

Adewunmi described the project further as a “legacy that will outlive the project and facilitate farmers’ access to funds at low interest rate to enable them meet their farming and other needs. The World Bank is aware of this achievement and is happy about the establishment of the bank”.

While commending the Plateau State Government for the support for farmers so far, Mr. Adewunmi used the opportunity to request for partnership between the State Government and FADAMA Microfinance Bank for patronage and to boost its business for sustainability of the gains already recorded.”

FADAMA farmers across have saved more than N60million as far back as 2013, and thereafter approached the Central Bank for operating license, having pooled N20million equity funds from the farmers’ accounts.

via TODAY