AU, Bauchi govt to spend N4.2b on agribusiness development

The African Union Development Agency’s New Partnership for Africa Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and Bauchi State Government are spending N4.2 billion to boost agribusiness and innovations to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

At the launch of a 10-year programme in Bauchi on Monday, the Managing Director of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr. Esther Ahmed, observed devastating effect of COVID-19 on small-holder farmers in Africa, saying that the agency came up with the project that based on the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Ending hunger to achieve food security and improve nutrition through promoting sustainable agriculture) tagged, ‘Innovative Strengthening of Smallholder Farmers Capabilities Towards Productive Land Restoration Amid COVID-19 in Nigeria.’

Esther said that the programme is aimed at strengthening smallholder farmer capabilities, accelerate productive land restoration, combat desertification and promote the use of innovative technology to reduce postharvest losses and maximize food security amid COVID-19 pandemic.

“Also, the programme will bring about increased food production, wealth and job creation which will boost the economy, reduce vices in the communities and also curb rural to urban migration in the state,” he said.

The programme, according to her, would last for 10 years with 10 per cent of the beneficiaries being people living with disability and 46 per cent going to women farmers. 

“The total amount budgeted for the project in the first year is put at N4,298,175,660.00. The project is expected to run for a period of 10 years. A total of 5,400 beneficiaries would benefit in the first year of the project, with 2,895 males representing 53.61 per cent and 2,505 females representing 46.39 per cent and 10 per cent of the total beneficiaries for persons with disabilities. 

“The state has earmarked 2,400 hectares of land for the project in the three senatorial districts of the state with three local governments each, making nine, to participate in the project in the cluster farming. 1,200 beneficiaries for drip irrigation (dry season), while 1,800 beneficiaries for rain-fed,” she explained.

Esther added that 600 beneficiaries, mostly women and persons with disabilities, are for greenhouse farming with 60 green houses to be constructed in all the 20 councils. A total of 1,800 beneficiaries, mostly women and PWDs, would benefit from livestock husbandry production intervention with women having 1,620 beneficiaries, representing 90 per cent, while 180 will be for the People Living with Disability (PLWD) representing 10 per cent. 

Also, Governor Bala Mohammed, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Kashim, said the government had paid up N2 billion as counterpart fund to boost food production.