FG, AfDB to spend $175m on irrigation, markets

The Federal Government says it will spend $175 million to rehabilitate agricultural and ancillary social infrastructure in seven states under its Agricultural Transformation Support Programme Phase one.
Haruna Akwashiki, the National Coordinator of ATASP-1, disclosed the plan while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.
Akwashiki said the project would be supported by the African Development Bank and implemented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which is headed by Chief Audu Ogbeh as Minister.
According to him, the five years programme would boost the cassava, rice and sorghum value chains in the country.
Akwashiki said it would also attract private sector investment in agriculture, reduce post-harvest losses, add value to local agricultural produce and develop rural infrastructure.
He said: “The objective of this programme is to contribute to the agricultural development effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Basically, the objective is to ensure food security and nutrition in the country and we are also trying to generate employment for youths.
“Under the programme, we are going to develop the agro-capacity of 200,000 youths in different aspects of agricultural endeavours and then we are also going to ensure that the farmers produce about 120,000 metric tonnes of assorted food crops every year for the country.
“Seventy per cent of the cost of the programme is for infrastructures. We are into the construction of irrigation schemes, construction of feeder roads, rehabilitation of primary schools, health centres, rural markets and construction of bore holes.”
The national coordinator said that the Federal Government would fund the programme with $23 million, while the AfDB would contribute $152 million.
He listed some of the projects to be executed to include 1,300 kilometres of irrigation water canals of which 280km will be in Kebbi; Sokoto -175km; Niger – 220km; Kano – 230km; Enugu – 125km; Anambra – 75km; and Jigawa – 195km.
Others are 1,330km of feeder roads in the seven states, 63 potable water supply and sanitation schemes among others.
Akwashiki said that the capacity of agricultural researchers and extension workers would also be built to reduce post-harvest losses.
ATASP-1 is a programme developed by the AfDB and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to improve food and nutrition security, employment generation and wealth creation along the rice, cassava and sorghum value chains.