Vice President (VP) Mr. Kashim Shettima has said that the Nigerian government is committed to improving the output of smallerholder farmers with modern inputs and funding.
The Vice President disclosed this during a meeting with the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Álvaro Lario.
“We are focusing on increased productivity, resilience, and commercialisation, not handouts,” Mr. Shettima noted, adding that Nigeria’s plan included scaling up existing IFAD-supported projects to reach more rural communities.
The VP reiterated the resolve of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) administration to empower the farmers, especially youth and women, with access to finance and mechanisation.
Mr. Shettima’s media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, in a statement made available to journalists, said the VP also held high-level bilateral meetings with top executives of other key global food and development agencies, including the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), QU Dongyu, and Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain.
