The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has initiated a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) to address key challenges and unlock the agricultural potential of the North Central region.
Dr Cyril Tsenyil, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, disclosed this during a working visit to NIRSAL headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
Tsenyil said that the commission was established to drive holistic development by addressing gaps across critical sectors, including security, healthcare, mining, infrastructure, blue economy, climate change and resilience, resettlement, rehabilitation, and education.
He noted that the North Central region, regarded as the nation’s food basket, had the capacity to significantly enhance national food security if existing agricultural challenges are tackled.
According to him, the commission is focused on closing gaps in agricultural production through improved access to seedlings, adoption of modern farming techniques, reduction of post-harvest losses, value chain development, processing, and market access.
Tsenyil added that the commission’s mandate to lift people out of poverty was anchored on promoting agriculture as a viable business, with improved access to credit and capacity building for farmers.
He said that through collaboration with NIRSAL, the commission aims to establish comparative agricultural hubs, improve market access, and unlock farming opportunities across the region.
The NCDC boss also advocated technical collaboration and capacity building, particularly in promoting communal farming models to enhance security, efficiency, and shared prosperity among farmers.
In his remarks, Mr Sa’ad Hamidu, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NIRSAL, represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Ewaen Imohe, expressed readiness to support the commission’s mandate.
Hamidu said that NIRSAL had the technical expertise required to deliver on the expectations of the partnership, adding that the North Central region holds immense agricultural potential.
He said that the region’s potential, if harnessed, could reduce poverty, drive economic growth, enhance food security, address insecurity, and boost export capacity.
Officials of NIRSAL highlighted key areas of collaboration to include funding for farm clusters, revitalisation of agricultural industries, technical support and training across value chains, development of processing facilities, land banking, commodity pricing, storage systems, and standardisation.
Members of the NCDC management team also emphasised the need for large-scale, contiguous land development to mitigate insecurity affecting farming activities.
They stressed the importance of protecting farmers and their investments, while creating targeted opportunities for youth engagement in agriculture.
Both parties agreed to establish a joint technical working group to drive the implementation of the partnership. (NAN)
