Some beneficiaries of the COVID-19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) in Nasarawa state, under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), have expressed optimism for a bumper harvest owing to the intervention.

Some of the farmers spoke on Thursday when the VCDP monitoring team visited their farms in the Doma and Lafia Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

Mr. Sunday Daniel, Chairman of one of the cluster groups of rural farmers in Kwandere Local Government Area, said that the intervention had renewed their hopes for better days ahead.

Daniel said that the rice farmers got improved seeds, fertilizer, and herbicides, which are already being utilized on their farms.

“We are grateful to VCDP for the support through items and training given to us to adopt best farming practices.

“We are already seeing drastic changes in our farms and we are hopeful of a bumper harvest by the end of the year,” he said.

Also, Usman Omadefu, a farmer in Doma, and Mrs. Lucy Daniel, a woman farmer in Rutu village in Doma LGA, lauded VCDP for the intervention, saying it would go a long way to improve the livelihood of the families given the positive impact on their farms.

Dr. Fatima Aliyu, National Project Coordinator, VCDP, represented by the Technical Assistant, Alhaji Hamza Shehu, said the monitoring team was in Nasarawa state to ensure that the farmers made use of the farm inputs given to them according to specifications.

Aliyu, who expressed satisfaction with the performances of the farmers so far, stated that the intervention was to assist rural poor farmers to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food production.

“We are here to see how they are utilizing the inputs given to them and to advise them on how to adopt the best agricultural practices.

“With what we have seen and with appropriate supervision, we are optimistic that the farmers would live up to expectations of improved crop yield,” Aliyu said.

185 rice farmers drawn from five Local Government Areas, recently benefitted from the FG-IFAD-VCDP-RPSF intervention grant in Nasarawa State.

The farmers got a total of 340 bags of NPK and 170 bags of Urea fertilizers, 5,405 bags of improved rice seeds as well as 250 bottles of selective and non-selective herbicides.