ANAMBRA, Nigeria – More than 500 farmers in Anambra State are set to benefit from new agricultural equipment, including 49 tricycles, as the government seeks to improve produce transportation, reduce post-harvest losses and boost rural incomes.
The equipment was distributed through the Federal Government-International Fund for Agricultural Development Value Chain Development Programme (FGN/IFAD-VCDP), with the state programme coordinator, Deborah Onyefulu, launching the initiative in Awka on Monday.
Onyefulu said the intervention was designed to increase the participation of women, young people and persons with disabilities in agriculture. “The equipment support is part of the programme’s initiative to support women, youths and persons with disabilities,” she said.
The items distributed included 49 tricycles, 84 power tillers, 80 solar-powered water pumps, 200 knapsack sprayers and fertiliser applicators.
The programme also provided 29 sets of cassava-processing equipment, 10 sets of rice-processing equipment and cooking demonstration equipment for 50 women.
Onyefulu said the initiative was expected to improve farmers’ incomes, create jobs, reduce poverty and increase the state’s internally generated revenue.
She warned beneficiaries against selling the equipment, adding that a monitoring team had been established to ensure the items were used for their intended purposes.
The programme’s acting business and market development officer in Anambra, Mary Obiekwe, said the intervention would help farmers transport produce from remote communities to markets, reducing losses linked to inadequate transportation.
She said 50 selected farmers were expected to receive tricycles, although the programme’s overall equipment distribution list included 49.
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