The World Bank, through the FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF) project, is reviewing and finding solutions to some problems facing FADAMA farmers so as to boost their productivity.
Dr Adetunji Oredipe, the World Bank Task Team Leader on FADAMA III (AF) project, who disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday on the sidelines of the mid-term review, said that the activity would also improve the farmers’ income.
Oredipe said that the mid-term review of FADAMA activities was an opportunity to critically analyse some challenges identified during World Bank’s FADAMA mission to the states.
He said that the supervision gave the World Bank Team, the FADAMA Office and officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture an opportunity to assess the level of the farmers’ activities on the field and recommend ways of attaining better yields.
“There was a change of government at the federal and state levels when the project began three years ago; priorities must have changed because value of the naira has also changed.
“We need to ask ourselves if the objectives of the project are still relevant. That is why we normally embark on a supervising mission in every six months.
“We have to assess the level of progress in efforts to achieve the targets that had been set under the project.
“Our chains of interest include cassava, rice, sorghum and tomato. But are they still relevant or has government priorities changed on what type of value chain the project should develop?
“So far, we have received good stories from farmers in FCT, Niger, Ogun and Ebonyi and according to what we supervised; there are lot of improvement in terms of production and packaging,’’ he said.
Oredipe, however, said that things ought to move faster in some areas in order to meet the set targets before the close of the project in 2019 and the review period “so that we will have good stories to tell.
“If there are needs for restructuring, we will then embark on restructuring,’’ he added.
He, nonetheless, expressed satisfaction with the reports so far received on the production and packaging sides.
He also assured the Federal Government of the World Bank’s continued support for its efforts to achieve food security in the country and stop food imports.
Also speaking, Mr Tayo Adewumi, the FADAMA National Programme Coordinator, said that the mid-term report was to take stock of their activities to know what was right and provide solutions to any challenges.
“The project started three years ago and now, we are to look at how far we have gone, what we have done right and what needs to be done in the second part of the project.
“Are we in line with the project’s objectives? If there are things based on government’s request, at the mid-term review we can discuss them so that they can be taken into consideration.
“The project is demand-driven because the community participation is very vital. Once we look at what the governments are asking for, we put them together and make better plans,’’ he added.
Adewumi commended the participating states for their efforts toward the success of the FADAMA III AF project. (NAN)