The British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), has set aside about N700 million to empower smallholder farmers in the rural areas across the country as part of efforts to boost farmers’ productivity over the next four years.
The foundation recently launched its strategic four-year programme for Nigeria, aiming at improving agricultural value chain, farmers’ yields and incomes.
Speaking at the launch of the foundation’s 2018-2022 Country Programme in Lagos, the BATNF Chairman, Chief Kola Jamodu, said the launch of the 2022 country programme confirms the passion and commitment that guides the Foundation’s programmes and implementation of activities that are geared to empower rural Nigerians for a sustainable future, which start with agriculture.
According to him, agriculture is the largest employer of labour, which accounts for about 25 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and represents one of the fastest ways out of poverty for those living in rural communities.
He said the programme was apt since the agriculture revolution was positioning the industry to become the economy nerve of the country, adding that the focus of the foundation was to empower smallholder farmers to transform with ease, from subsistence to commercialised farming by providing funds and agricultural equipment.
He added: “In Nigeria, more than 70 per cent of the total farming population are smallholder farmers in rural communities that cultivate less than four hectares, but produce up to 90 per cent of the total national output. Yet many of these farmers and others in their community account for over three quarter of the poor in Nigeria who live below a dollar a day.”
He said in many ways, small holder farmers cannot be ignored in the agricultural value chain if growth and development is expected in the sector, saying that the foundation was aligning its activities with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) one and two, which address elimination of poverty and zero hunger.
Jamodu said the BATNF would provide support over the period in practical means to mitigate challenges by providing grants and techincal expertise which will translate to revolutionise farming to agribusiness.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of BATNF, Mrs Lolade Johnson-Agiri, said that the programme would focus on five core areas and two enterprise developments.
She said: “The programme will specifically create market access through market-driven interventions and also encourage participation in out-grower schemes for rice, maize and cassava. It will also propel value addition in crops or aquaculture, promote adoption of mechanisation and good agricultural practices, provide humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons, among others.