By Abel Daniel, Lafia

Rice and cassava farmers in Nasarawa State under the Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development (FGN/IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) have recorded surplus harvests during the 2025 farming season.

The State Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD VCDP, Dr. Eunice Adgidzi, disclosed this yesterday in Lafia at a one-day media roundtable organised to assess achievements recorded and challenges encountered during the year under review.

Adgidzi said that when the programme began in 2020, it was discovered that many farmers planted rice by broadcasting seeds rather than raising nurseries for transplanting, a practice that led to seed wastage and poor yields.

She explained that this and other inappropriate farming practices initially affected rice production in the state. However, through sustained research, training and capacity building, farmers have significantly improved their skills, resulting in higher productivity.

“From where they were, their yield has improved to about 4.5 metric tonnes per hectare, compared to what they used to harvest before,” she said.

She added that cassava farmers were also supported with certified, disease-resistant and drought-tolerant planting materials, leading to improved yields of up to two metric tonnes per hectare.

According to Adgidzi, beneficiaries of the programme were drawn from five local government areas—Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Karu and Nasarawa—where VCDP interventions are currently ongoing.

While appreciating the Nasarawa State Government for partnering with the FGN/IFAD VCDP, she noted that the programme was designed to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by strengthening the rice and cassava value chains.

She said the initiative also addresses post-harvest losses, environmental degradation, limited access to productive assets and inputs, inadequate financial services and low productivity.

“The development objective of the Value Chain Development Programme is to sustainably improve the livelihoods of rural farmers. Our focus is on improving yields, especially for rice and cassava. That is why we encourage farmers to plant certified seeds rather than grains,” she explained.

Also speaking, the Knowledge Management and Communication Officer of the FGN/IFAD VCDP in Nasarawa State, Samson Jonah, commended journalists for their consistent reportage throughout 2025, which he said had helped the programme reach rural farmers across the five benefiting local government areas.

He urged media practitioners to continue to ensure accuracy and proper documentation of the programme’s activities to enhance its development and sustainability.

Jonah said the media roundtable was organised to appreciate journalists as key partners, strengthen collaboration, ensure quality reporting, and better understand donor expectations regarding documentation and reporting, as well as the challenges associated with poor documentation and ways to address them.