Anambra farmers to get better market access as IFAD distributes tricycles, equipment

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

More than 500 farmers in Anambra State are expected to enjoy improved access to markets, reduced post-harvest losses and increased productivity following the distribution of tricycles and other agricultural equipment under the Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development Value Chain Development Programme (FGN/IFAD-VCDP).

The intervention, implemented through the Anambra State Ministry of Agriculture, is designed to address some of the challenges confronting rural farmers, particularly inadequate transportation, limited access to remote farming communities and insufficient processing facilities.

The equipment distributed at a flag-off ceremony in Awka on Monday included 49 tricycles, 84 power tillers, 80 solar-powered water pumps, 200 knapsack sprayers and fertiliser applicators, 29 sets of cassava-processing equipment and 10 sets of rice-processing equipment.

Cooking demonstration equipment was also provided to support 50 women in promoting improved food preparation and nutrition practices.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Acting Business and Market Development Officer of VCDP in Anambra, Mrs Mary Obiekwe, said the distribution of tricycles would help farmers transport their produce more efficiently from farms and remote communities to markets.

Obiekwe disclosed that 50 selected farmers would each receive a tricycle to address transportation difficulties that had contributed to post-harvest losses and restricted market access.

“Before now, these farmers experienced harvest losses due to a lack of mobility and access to remote hinterlands,” she said.

“With the distribution of these tricycles, there will be seamless transportation and increased productivity.”

She urged beneficiaries to maintain the equipment properly to ensure durability and sustainability, while encouraging them to cultivate a savings culture to enable them to replace the tricycles when they eventually depreciated.

The State Programme Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Deborah Onyefulu, said the broader intervention was aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural farmers, creating employment opportunities, reducing poverty and increasing the state’s internally generated revenue through sustainable agricultural development.

She explained that the programme was designed to strengthen agricultural value chains while promoting the participation of women, youths and persons with disabilities.

“The equipment support is part of the programme’s initiative to support women, youths and persons with disabilities,” Onyefulu said.

She added that the intervention was geared towards promoting inclusiveness in agricultural value chains and increasing the income of poor rural farmers on a sustainable basis.

Onyefulu warned beneficiaries against selling the equipment, disclosing that a monitoring team had been established to ensure that the items were used for their intended purposes.

She stressed the importance of responsible use of the equipment to ensure that the intervention achieved its objectives and delivered lasting benefits to the targeted communities.

Also speaking, Mr Matthew Okafor, Acting State Agricultural Production Officer for Value Chain, said beneficiaries were selected through liaison officers across the nine local government areas participating in the programme.

Okafor explained that the scheme operated a cost-sharing arrangement under which beneficiaries were required to contribute 30 per cent of the cost of the equipment, while the government covered the remaining 70 per cent.

He urged farmers to request equipment according to their actual needs to ensure that available resources reached those who could put them to productive use.

“There is no need collecting equipment you do not need. Instead, we give them to those in need of them,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Chinwe Achugbu, represented by Mrs Ify Onyenwe, commended VCDP for its interventions, which she said had helped improve farmers’ livelihoods.

She also appreciated the state government for creating an enabling environment for agricultural development and supporting initiatives to improve agricultural production.

Similarly, Mr Anthony Muobike, member representing Aguata Constituency II in the Anambra State House of Assembly, urged beneficiaries to use the equipment judiciously to improve their farming operations and economic well-being.

Muobike commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for supporting the programme and promoting sustainable agricultural development in the state.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Onyebuchi Okoli of the Destiny Farmers Cooperative in Isuaniocha, Awka North Local Government Area, said the tricycle would make it easier for her to transport farm produce to markets.

Okoli, who specialises in vegetable, cassava and fish farming, expressed appreciation for the equipment and the programme’s capacity-building support, which she said had helped farmers understand how to improve their livelihoods through agriculture.

“They taught us how farming can improve our livelihoods. If a farmer remains poor, it is because the farmer has decided to remain so,” she said.

The distribution is expected to strengthen rural agricultural operations by improving transportation, supporting farm mechanisation, facilitating processing and helping farmers move produce to markets more efficiently.

Through the intervention, the programme seeks to improve farmers’ incomes, reduce avoidable post-harvest losses and promote more inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chains across participating communities in Anambra State.