NIMC to register 2m farmers in 2025 first quarter

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Nigeria Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create a database of farmers.

The database, known as the farmer register, will utilise the National Identity Number (NIN) and biometric information to identify genuine farmers and their farmland to provide targeted support.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Senator Abubakar Kyari during the signing of the MoU yesterday in Abuja explained that in the first 3month which is the pilot phase, NIMC is expected to identify and capture the biometrics of 2million farmers with plans to scale up to 6million farmers in the second phase.

The minister said that to reach rural farmers, NIMC will partner with the private sector and utilize its offices in every local government across the country, disclosing that financially inclusive cards will be provided to farmers for various functionalities.

He said “We are going to use the platform that NIMC has, that is to say, the National Identity Number (NIN), and also the card, which will contain all the biometric information of the individual farmer.

“So we know precisely we are going to have a register that seeks to intervene and support a genuine farmer that is really an advocacy register, and that will restore all kinds of issues that we have had.”

READ ALSO:NIMC grants NCoS licence to register inmates for NIN

The minister noted that the process was in line with Mr. President’s 8-point agenda on food security to intervene and support the real farmer, which will now produce more that will give us a successful and bountiful harvest.

Abisoye Coker-Odusete, director general of NIMC said the commission has a three-month timeline to complete the capturing.

“So we will be utilizing all of our resources to be able to ensure that goes to them. So our teams have formed a working group, and they are definitely going to go out to the group to operationalize their plans.

“The mandate of NIMC is to ensure that we enroll every single Nigerian citizen and every legal resident in Nigeria.”