The African Development Bank (AfDB) is providing Nigeria with $134 million to support the cultivation of essential crops such as rice, maize, cassava, and soybeans in order to improve food production.
Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the president of the bank, announced on Saturday that $134 million will be used to support this initiative, following his visit to the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) at Bayero University, Kano.
Adesina told reporters that the bank will assist Nigeria in cultivating 300,000 hectares of rice and maize, as well as 150,000 hectares of cassava and 50,000 hectares of soybeans, for the 2024 planting season.
“This March, the AfDB is supporting Nigeria to cultivate 118,000 hectares of heat-tolerant varieties of wheat and another 150,000 hectares of maize.
“We live in an era of climate change and yet only three per cent of African agriculture is under irrigation. We have to make sure we help our farmers with information that is timely and appropriate.
“We have no alternative but to adapt to climate change; adopt better ways of using water, particularly in the cultivation of dry land crops that are more resilient and tolerant,’’ Adesina said.
Furthermore, Adesina stated that the AfDB will provide grants to the CDA and partner with them to establish a center dedicated to predicting weather patterns and collecting information. This will help farmers plant more efficiently.
We will work with the center to become one of the centers of excellence in technology.
“We will also support youths to develop their business ideas into reality with our 20,000-dollar grant on Agri Pitch’ and Agri Hacking’,’’ he said.
