Deputy Senate President Launches N2.79bn Loan For North-West Farmers

The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, has introduced a N2.79 billion loan program for farmers in all 186 Local Government Areas across the seven states of the North-West geo-political zone.

Addressing correspondents on Thursday in Abuja, Barau, who represents the Kano North Senatorial District, said the scheme aims at raising 558 young farmer millionaires across the seven states.

According to him, 69 farmers each from Kaduna and Sokoto states will benefit from the initiative, while 132 from Kano, 63 from Kebbi, 102 from Katsina, 81 from Jigawa and 42 from Zamfara will also draw from the loan scheme.

Barau, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Policy and Monitoring, Prof Bashir Fagge, noted that under the programme tagged: “Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West,” three young farmers will be selected from each of the 186 LGs of the seven states.

He added that each beneficiary will receive N5 million to invest in farming this season, adding that the programme will kick off in April 2025.

He said, “Food security is paramount and at the top of the agenda of progressive nations globally. Without it, you are insecure at the individual, family, local government, state and country levels.

“If you recall, decades ago, the North, especially the North-West, was our country’s food basket, producing most of the agricultural products for consumption by the people nationwide and even for export to our neighbouring countries. However, that has become history.

“To change the narrative and harness the enormous arable land across the seven North-West states, I have developed the initiative of empowering 558 young farmers in the North-West geopolitical zone for the first phase of the programme.

“The Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN) programme aims to use the vast arable land in the geo-political zone to restore its agricultural prominence and achieve food security. My foundation, the Barau I Jibrin Foundation (BIJF), is partnering with a relevant national financial institution to implement this programme.”

The programme, according to Fagge, will kick off in April 2025.

“Each selected beneficiary will receive an interest-free N5m loan to invest in farming during this year’s cropping season. The sum of N2.79bn will be disbursed to the beneficiaries.

“The beneficiaries of this scheme would be guided in cultivating maize and rice crops. This would essentially boost the desired yield of the two crops, reduce the cost of food items, and enhance food security in the zone and nationwide.

“The central concept behind this scheme is to revolutionise agricultural production in North Western Nigeria by empowering youths with a background in agriculture,” Fagge added.