The Kogi State Coordination Office of the Agro Processing, Productivity and Livelihood Improvement Support project (APPEALS) has facilitated the distribution of farm inputs and equipment to farmers to support dry season rice farming activities in the state.

This is following the state government clearance of the Value Chain Investment Plans (VCIPs) submitted by the farmers and the subsequent approval from the World Bank.

The objective of the support is aimed at achieving the nation’s goal of food security through facilitating the necessary support to farmers to enable them farm throughout the year.

A total of five hundred four (504) rice farmers located in six farming communities across the state such as Kabawa, Okumi, Shintaku, Ozugbe, Koton-karfe and Geregu are benefitting from the support being facilitated by the project.

During an interactive session held with the farmers recently, the state project coordinator told the farmers that the support been facilitated by Kogi APPEALS is in form of a grant and not a loan that would be repayable by the government, and urged them to reciprocate the kind gesture by putting to good use of the inputs and equipment.

He decried a situation where group executives will deprive other
members of the use of any input facilitated by the project and warned against such acts that are capable of bringing disunity to the group. He emphasized the need for the executives to always carry other members along in information sharing and equipment utilization.

He noted that the project has taken the pains to identify the real farmers in the state in order to ensure that the right farmers get the right support and urged them to be productive in the use of the support. He affirmed the readiness of the state coordination office in fast tracking the necessary support that will make the rice farmers remain active during the dry season.

It would be recalled that earlier in the year KOGI APPEALS facilitated the establishment of demonstration plots across eight locations in the state where farmers were exposed to modern technologies and methods of planting that would lead to increase yield and enhance their productivity. The technologies demonstrated include the use of power tiller to pulverise the soil, Faro 44, 60 and 60, Urea Deep Placement using Urea Super Granules to reduce nutrient losses, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to maintain optimum plant population and efficient water management, and bird repeller to scare birds that cause great damage to maturing paddy in the field, rice harvesters and threshers to reduce drudgery, improves timeliness of operations and reduce post-harvest losses.

The farmers who were visibly excited appreciated the effort of KOGI APPEALS in empowering them with the right inputs at the right time. They noted that the show of love from the project will be reciprocated by ensuring that they utilise the inputs for the purpose for which they are is meant.