Nigeria’s Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending Plc (NIRSAL) has initiated a collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security to enhance wheat production, aligning with Nigeria’s food security agenda. The initiative focuses on training extension agents and farmers under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP)/Jigawa Wheat Cluster Project.
In the first phase of training held in four emirates in Jigawa State, 355 extension agents and 706 farmer cluster leaders participated. The participants will transmit the knowledge gained to members of their respective clusters. Abbas Umar Masanawa, Managing Director/CEO of NIRSAL Plc, emphasized the importance of the training, aligning with the Federal Government’s vision for food security.
Masanawa expressed NIRSAL’s commitment to supporting states like Jigawa through capacity building, training, database building, and innovation. The capacity-building module focused on Group Dynamics, with an emphasis on the geo-cooperative approach to cluster formation. Effective produce aggregation and early warning systems for project monitoring were also covered.
Ibrahim Suleiman, leader of the NIRSAL delegation of trainers, highlighted the significance of optimal value capture at the farm level for obtaining and repaying loans. Muttaka Namadi, the State Commissioner of Agriculture, commended NIRSAL’s commitment to the Jigawa Wheat project, expressing confidence in its success.
NIRSAL Plc, designed to de-risk agriculture and facilitate commercial finance for agribusiness in Nigeria, has developed models for de-risking primary production, addressing inherent risks that hinder banks from financing primary production. The collaboration aims to contribute to the success of the Jigawa Wheat project, involving stakeholders like the African Development Bank and Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc.
Note: NIRSAL – Nigeria’s Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending Plc
