The Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has praised a beneficiary of the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Nasarawa State for his impressive achievement in rice cultivation. The beneficiary, Okolo Jonathan, successfully expanded his rice farm to 58 hectares, in line with the government’s goal of promoting food security across the nation.
Dr. Eunice Adgidzi, the Nasarawa State Programme Coordinator for the VCDP, extended the commendation during a visit to the farm in Awe Local Government Area on Sunday, leading a team of supervisors to assess progress. She highlighted that Jonathan, along with 14 other farmers, was trained by the VCDP in rice seedling production in 2021. Each participant received a startup package to cultivate one hectare of land as part of the program’s initiative.
Adgidzi expressed pride in Jonathan’s remarkable growth, noting that he has expanded from cultivating just one hectare in 2021 to an impressive 54 hectares by 2024. She described him as an exemplary entrepreneur who maximized the initial support provided by the VCDP to become a mechanized rice farmer.
She added, “With the outstanding performance of farmers like Jonathan and others who have expanded to three hectares, the VCDP’s goal of increasing food security and reducing poverty is well within reach.”
In response, Jonathan expressed his gratitude to the VCDP, crediting the training and support he received as the foundation of his success. He recounted his journey, starting with one hectare of rice cultivation in 2021, scaling up to five hectares in 2023, and now managing 54 hectares of farmland. His achievements underscore the potential impact of targeted agricultural development programs in boosting productivity and improving livelihoods.
