Assessing IFAD value chain programme in Ebonyi

In this piece, EGWUAGHA AMARACHUKWU analyses the impact of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Assisted Value Chain Programme in Ebonyi state
IFAD-VCP is an assisted program by an international body in collaboration with federal, state and local governments of Nigeria, with the aim of improving agricultural product in the country.
The program also assists farmers by providing grant, attracting access road to farm land and market components, among others.
The value chain program which started skeletally in Ebonyi state in 2014 but became effective in 2015 has really touched lives of farmers in the state.
Component of IFAD – VCP Rice and cassava are the major crops they deal on.
It goes from production, processing and marketing.
The value chain program deals with farmers who are the major producers, and the business class who are in the processing sector.
Impact of IFAD-VCP in Ebonyi Between August 20 and 24 this year, the Ebonyi state Governor Engr David Umahi, IFAD National Programme Co-ordinator Dr Ameh Onoja, and other top government officials went round the five local government areas in which IFAD is working in the state, commissioned and handed over market infrastructural facilities that was built for benefiting communities.
The LGAs are Ohaozara, Afikpo South, Ikwo, Izzi, and Ishielu. The projects were aggregation centers, over 100 lockup shops, and stalls, and toilet facilities.
However, before now the international organization had attracted access roads for farmers and water projects also.
Governor Umahi who was represented at the event by his Senior Special assistant on rice production Mr Innocent Azoubu, tasked the benefiting communities on proper Maintenance of the facilities. He commended IFAD for their transparency which he said made the state to constantly honour the agreement it has with them.
According to the governor, “I want to thank IFAD for what they have done to the state.
They have make the state proud in the area of agriculture.
It is because of the commitment of IFAD in the agricultural development that the state pay’s counterpart funds.
“Ebonyi Government is ready to continue to support IFAD to ensure that more community projects is attracted to the state.
Intervention in agriculture “The truth of the matter is that there is an understanding between IFAD and the state were ever they are operating for an intervention in agriculture .
What we do on our part as a state is to honour that agreement we reached on, that MOU by paying the counterpart fund.
We place it as a priority in the state because one thing about IFAD is their transparency, they are transparent in whatever they are doing and any money that comes to their hand they use it judiciously because of that we are highly indebted to their course.
“I want to call on the communities and chairmen of various LGAs were this projects are located to know that these facilities are all aimed towards standardization of our agric product, government has been thinking about it, the facilities especially the aggregation centers are were you keep your product and it will be safe.
“The essence of this by IFAD is to save guard agric products.
It is a mini reservoir.
“Government is charging the community to take good care of these projects.
From time to time the commissioner for agriculture will supervise the place to make sure it is properly used.
The governor also advised farmers to embarrass modern innovations in agriculture.
“You drive modern agriculture with modern gadgets, the time agriculture is driven by manual practices and human labour has fast gone it is highly technologically driven by modern implementation, land preparations and development, Intense of seed developments.
So every day you have improvements of machines, machinery and seeds that are being introduced to the market.
“We are saying so on the same note just for them to benefit from the improved verities.
The seeds that are disease resistance the seeds that is of high yields, the seeds that can stand the test of time.
“Today we are competing with the international communities we are talking of long grain and fast yielding rice like Farrow 44,farrow 56 and 54 they are all in that group.
We have a lot of improved cassava stem all you need to do as a farmeris to go to IFAD or ministry of agriculture and ask which is the latest”.
Sustainability of these facilities The IFAD National Co-coordinator Dr AMAH Onuoja who was represented by Mr Frank Njaa noted that the agency through request by the federal government would increase number of states and local governments that are beneficiaries to the programme.
“It’s a request by the federal government to IFAD to extend the program to other local governments of various states as well as other states of the country.
So far five states were selected and it’s now going to be extended to eight states.
For the states that have the program already the LGAs I know will be extended.
Number of LGAs to be involved is not known yet.
“The life spam is likely to be expanded as well.
IFAD is in six states, Ebonyi, Anambra, Benue, Makueudi, Taraba and Ogun states.
Onoja further enjoined the beneficiaries to ensure sustainability of these facilities as that is what the organization is looking out for.
The state coordinator of IFAD chief Sunday Ituma given a rundown of the project narrated that the agency committed about 200 million naira to actualize the projects.
Noting that the project was a support to marketing component of the program, he said, “I thank the state government for the support it gave IFAD, for his financial commitment that made this program successful.
“International Fund for Agricultural development value chain program committed about 200.000 000 to achieve this market infrastructural component.
We have provided market lock up shops, stalls, aggregation centers, toilet facilities in various communities we are working in.
“This is part of our support to the marketing component as you know this is part of our value chain program we are supporting through the processing program and marketing.
“They were successfully commissioned by His Excellency, the facilities provided in all the five local government areas.
The next line of action is for the communities to put it to use and for us to regularly monitor the use through the maintenance and operations committee we established in the each of the LGAs and each of the market for them to put to effective use of the facilities and guarantee sustainability of the it”.
First phase He stressed that the organization would embark on rural roads intervention to give access roads to farmers.
“As part of our implementation programs this year, we are also going to intervene in some rural roads, we are already concluding the first phase of it as soon as that is done and as soon as the rain seize we are going to commence another round of the rural roads intervention component.
In that direction some roads have been selected and the designs almost completed.
“What IFAD is saying is yes we may not have all the knowledge so to say on roads, but what is critical to them is to provide access for our rural farmers so that when there are some impediments like Culver’s, mini bridges they can have easy access to and fro their farm lands to be able to carry out their produce at all seasons.
Mr ituma also spoke on criteria of sitting projects in an area were their is miss understanding, using the marketing facilities jointly owned by Onicha and Ohaozara local government areas as example.
“Our program has zero tolerance for areas where there are crisis, communities where there are disagreement what we do by the special grace of God is to try and bring peace to the area through the meetings with various stakeholders from the LGAs involved and the traditional ruler and resolutions were signed by the major stakeholders.
That’s why we were able to complete our projects and we had a successful outing.
Speaking further on their programs he said, “Apart from marketing components, we are building a very gigantic processing centers in two major rice mill centers, the building has been completed.
We are doing two for rice, one for cassava.
Again apart from what the government is doing this is about the only intervening project to improve the quality of our processing projects, the rice and cassava products.
And so in a very short time we will be completing the processing centers.
The program has limitation of fund and we have finish the program for the year, we are also going to provide aggregation center for those other local governments.
“What IFAD is doing is to support rural farmers and also help them to be gainfully employed.
We are supporting the farmers here with marching grant for them to do rice and cassava production.
Building marketing component The state commissioner for agriculture Chief Moses OGODOALI who was chairman of the occasion reposed confidence on IFAD VCP stated that the program is working in the state.
According to him IFD is not only building marketing component, they have attracted access roads to farm land in some LGAs, constructed water infatuated the programme is working in Ebonyi “I have trivial all the five local government areas IFAD is working in Ebonyi state and scored them excellent.
I’m happy with the quality of the building. I appeal they expand their project at to eight or ten LGAs.
“For instance in Izzi local government they are working on roads, water and infrastructure.
In Afikpo South they build toilet, lock up shops and stall. In Ohaozara they build aggregation center and stall.
So if other local government area can get this type of things in their rural market it will go a long way to boost our market.
He used the opportunity and announced disbursement of money to about 5300 farmers under the state government agricultural empowerment program.
“The 700 million Naira realised is for empowerment of those 5300 persons the government is sponsoring to go into agriculture before now government had disbursed rice, cassava storms, fertilizer. Today the fund will be made available to them so that everyone can finish both wedding and cultivating of these crops.
The farmers are categorized 30 for rice and 20 for cassava farming in each wards of the local government areas.
Beneficiaries of the facilities Aja Okike a cabinet member traditional ruler of Okposiokwu, commended IFAD said the project brought peace to the community.
“This project has brought peace to the two communities.
There has been a kind of controversy surrounding this market, unfortunately it is a market jointly owned not just by two communities but two LGAs.
Wherever there is peace there is happiness, there is progress, there is development.
The Coordinator of Edda North DC, Kalu Ama Nkama appreciated the governor, said through his agricultural policies and activities of IFAD the local government will increase their agricultural products.
“if we were producing 200 metric tonnes of rice last year, because of the empowerment from the governor and IFAD we promise to produce 1000 metric tonnes this year.
We promise to make judicious use of the facilities and to sustain it.
We also thank IFAD for the access road to our farm they constructed.
On his part the state program coordinator of IFAD value chain, Sunday Ituma, explained that the projects was part of the value chain marketing component aimed at promoting marketing of the chain product, saying the program was expected to institute maintenance and protection committee to ensure sustenance of the program.
Chairman of Izzi local government council Engr.
Paul Nwogbaga, also commended Gov Umahi for prompt payment of the counterpart fund which made building of the projects and others necessary.
He said that through IFAD value chain project the market and village now have water.