The Nigeria Agribusiness Register (NAR) has launched a facility that would provide technical support services to farmers, across several commodity value chains in the country, to aid food security.
Mr Roland Oroh, Founder and Director of the register, who made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday, in Abuja, cited some of the value chains to be supported to include rice, maize, soybean, cashew, shea butter, livestock, aquaculture, among others.
“This facility will assist agribusiness start-ups in getting their documentations ready for fund sourcing and also sourcing of raw materials from small holder farmers, through outgrower schemes, amongst other support,” he said.
Similarly, he said the facility would also attract support from donor funded projects seeking to strengthen small holder farmers and job creation for youths and women across various agriculture value chains,
In addition, Oroh said, the facility would offer expertise and promote efficient production technologies in crops and livestock production, including providing markets, knowledge and information services to value chain actors.
Another area that the facility would provide support, he stated, would be in the areas of financial linkages and fund intermediation services to farmers to access finance for local projects and foreign investors, through a Blended Finance Facility as separate donor supported project.
The NAR founder also emphasised the provision of food safety and quality assurance for processors and traders, as another area of focus for the facility, including providing advisory services on quality control and improved pre and post-harvest handling practices for farmers. (NAN).
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