…The story of Benue’s poor dwellers who now drive the rural economy from their farms

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Something remarkable is happening in Benue State, particularly in the rural economy where peasant farmers have suddenly taken their destinies in their own hands.

Benue is known by the epithet: ‘The Food Basket of the Nation’, with majority of the populace engaged in one form of farming or the other. Even in the local communities, rural dwellers engage in farming, though
majority of these farmers do subsistence farming, while the produce are sold in the village markets to earn little income for sustenance.

Despite their known prowess in the farms, majority of these farmers live from hand to mouth on what they earn.

Though Benue State annually records huge turnover in crops production, majority of those who till the land for unexplained reasons live in penury. The impact of the massive crop production is hardly felt in communities where nothing tangible can be seen on the ground justifying the volume of produce and the amount of labour that goes into the farms annually.

But from all indications, the life trajectory of many Benue farmers has taken a new turn, with many giving account of their lives witnessing upward swings from earnings which have become a complete departure from what obtained in the past. Many Benue rural farmers who hitherto struggled to make ends meet now voice confidently that they have no reason to panic over the present economic downturn in the country.

They now live well, build houses, buy cars and motorbikes as well as conveniently send their children and wards to school without much ado. For many of the farmers their joy knows no bound on acount of this
transformation which seems like a dream.

This was much alluded to by one of the farmers who specialises in rice production and processing, Damien Emmanuel from Obagaji in Agatu Local Government Area, LGA, of the state. He claimed that the coming of the  Federal Government of Nigeria/International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme, FGN/IFAD-VCD, in Benue State has completely changed the lives
of farmers in the state.

Findings indicated that IFAD-VCDP which came to the state about 10 years ago and dedicated to improving agricultural productivity and enhancing the livelihoods of farmers in the state in the rice and cassava value chain has completely turned around the lives of Benue farmers and made the rural economy buoyant.

Emmanual who recounted his live story before he joined the IFAD-VCDP that gave meaning to his endeavour in his chosen rice farming enterprise, explained the life-changing encounter for which reason they will  celebrate all the days of their lives on earth.

Hear him: “Ours is a story of peasants-turned millionaire farmers. It is simply unbelievable, but it takes dedication and commitment to your farm to reap the benefit we are enjoying today.”

The rice farmer who was in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, to participate in the  FGN/IFAD-VCDP  flag-off of the 2024 Dry Season Agro Inputs Distribution in the state and display of yields and produce by farming groups supported by the intervention, could not hold back joy and emotion as he narrated his life-changing story.

“I joined IFAD-VCDP about four years ago in Obagaji, Agatu LGA. At the time they were coming to our market square to hold their meetings, encouraging farmers to form cooperatives and join them. I and my people immediately joined them because what they were doing was good. We asked them the process to get registered.

“They said we must register as a cooperative with a minimum of 25 members. We did, we formed the Ochewodu Integrated farms, focusing on rice production and processing. We submitted our certificates of registration to them and after capturing it we were
enrolled. That was four years ago. And since then the support we are enjoying from the IFAD-VCDP is unbelievable.

“Our lives have also witnessed unimaginable transformation. We farm and produce rice and with the huge support we get from the programme we have moved from poor and beggarly lives to overflow of abundance. For instance, before my being part of this, I used to owe unpaid school fees of my children. In fact, it was normal to always carry the debt over to another term because of lack of finance. But today that has been a thing of the past.

“Since I joined the IFAD-VCDP and they began to support me life has not been the same. It is the same story with all the farmers present here and those who could
not come for the event. They supported me and others with inputs, rice processing mills and much more, including finance.

“For instance, today they have supported me with power tiller because I do rice production and processing, and I need to increase my capacity so that I can process more. I applied for the power tiller so that I can farm at least four or five hectares and process the same rice in our own processing centre. And it has been given to me. I paid 30 percent counterpart fund for the equipment. The market price is about N2 millon but I paid 30 percent of that amount which is about N600,000 this afternoon and the power machine has been given to me.

“I cannot thank IFAD-VCDP enough because since they came to our community, the lives of our youths have not remained the same.  Before the coming of this programme we were managing to
survive, but this programme has changed our lives. We are rural farmers, but now we are rich and even richer than many of those living in cities and doing white-collar jobs.

“Before I joined I was not counting cash, but now I am counting cash in millions. In one year I can record a turnover of over
N50 million. We now see money because of the help of IFAD-VCDP. So, I thank the State Programme Coordinator because he is not biased. He gives everyone equal treatment and encourages everyone of us to realise that the biggest wealth is in the farm.

“I also thank God for the lives of those who brought the intervention and those executing it in Benue State. I pray God to
bless them because this programme has impacted us a lot. I am a father of seven children, and I also have dependants who I cater for. In this difficult times I am not bothered because we feed well and all our needs are taken care of because we are not poor. This transformation came from God who used this IFAD-VCDP to rescue thousands of us from poverty.

“Today I have a processing centre and I have my rice brand. I have about 10 persons who are on my payroll. These people feed from my factory. As they produce rice they also get weekly
allocations to take home for consumption and by so doing ensuring that they feed well.

“Ours is a story of rural peasant
farmers who have become
wealthy through the miracle of
FGN/IFAD-VCDP which turned
our soil to gold.”