The Federal Government said it has successfully disbursed loans to a total of 259,451 farmers, agric workers, and other businesses at the bottom of the financial pyramid, across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), through its National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP). She added that through its N-Power programme a total of 20,000 Extension workers have been produced across the country to work on soil testing, seedling, and regular advice to farmers to boost their productivity. “What we have done with the N-Power programme in every local council area was to ensure that the extension workers give us the list of farmers in communities, so that we can support them, give them the necessary seedlings, and necessary advice. That is really helping the communities,” she said. “Through this, we have been able to boost the children’s nutrition, with a value chain that creates jobs for the cooks and ensures a sustainable income for smallholder farmers.”

Source: The Guardian February 11, 2018 02:37 UTC