In a bid to curb post-harvest losses, the Federal Government, through the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), has distributed 46 tricycles and other processing equipment to farmers in Nasarawa State.

The equipment distributed includes 16 rice steam parboiling machines, 18 rice milling machines, three rice colour-sorting machines, 11 digital weighing scales, two rice dehusking machines, four cassava grating machines, four manual cassava fryers, three automated framers, and three hydraulic pressers.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the intervention would add value to agricultural produce, reduce post-harvest losses, empower women and youth farmers, enhance competitiveness, and boost productivity.
According to him, the equipment will also support enterprise growth, deepen market participation, and expand rural employment opportunities.

Kyari explained that the programme, implemented in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is designed to address structural constraints in the rice and cassava value chains through integrated investments in production, aggregation, processing, infrastructure, market access, and institutional strengthening.
He added that the initiative aligns with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP).
The minister further disclosed that initiatives such as the Nasarawa Agro-Commodity Company (NASACCO) and the One-Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) are strengthening the state’s investment climate.
He commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for his commitment to large-scale agricultural cultivation, noting that the state’s efforts would boost domestic food supply, stabilise prices, conserve foreign exchange, and create jobs.
Highlighting the outcomes of federal–state collaboration, Kyari pointed to functional aggregation centres, modern processing facilities, and strengthened producer organisations.

“These interventions are creating jobs, stabilising rural incomes, and strengthening Nasarawa State’s contribution to national food security,” he said.
In his remarks, Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, said the state government has aligned its agricultural programmes with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at economic diversification and wealth creation for Nigerian farmers.
He added that the ongoing agricultural reforms would empower women and youth farmers, increase production, and boost internally generated revenue in the state.

Earlier, the National Programme Coordinator, FGN/IFAD–VCDP, Dr. Fatima Aliyu, said the programme supports rice and cassava smallholder farmers through a value-chain approach to enhance productivity, promote agro-processing, and improve market access.
She noted that the initiative is expected to transform rural agriculture by enhancing food security, increasing incomes, and creating employment opportunities.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of the Ashangwa Rice Innovation Platform, Patience Wombo, pledged that farmers would maintain and protect all facilities provided under the programme to ensure increased production, packaging, and distribution of agricultural products.
In a related development, the minister commissioned several FGN/IFAD–VCDP projects in Lafia, including the Value Chain Innovation Rice Processing Centre in Ashangwa, Gidi Gidi Garri Processing Centre, and Agi Alo Rice Processing Centre, among others.