Post-COVID-19: NIRSAL launches scheme to assist farmers

Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc), has introduced the Agro-Geo- Cooperatives, to assist farmers boost agriculture and also have access to financing, noting that scheme would be effective after the country resumes the coronavirus pandemic.

A Public Policy Analyst, Nantim Joseph, in a statement yesterday, explained that the scheme was originally introduced in 2019, but was upgraded as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19. He said farmers would be grouped based on the contiguity of their farmlands, with each farmer retaining what is originally theirs and becoming partakers in large, structured farming projects.

Joseph further explained that, it would be an improvement on the suboptimal practice of smallholder farming on small, unconnected parcels of land which makes it possible to introduce precision agriculture tools resulting in the optimisation of results.

According to him, “The AgroGeoCoop-based farming model is a unique system that groups adjoining farmlands in geographical areas that have been identified as being suited for specific commodities. It is an improvement on the suboptimal practice of smallholder farming on small, unconnected parcels of land.

“Its unique Geo or farmLand-based cooperative approach facilitates the agglomeration of large parcels of farmlands which makes it possible to introduce Precision Agriculture tools (Remote Sensing, Deployment of Unmanned Aerial Systems, satellite-based Global Positioning Systems etc) resulting in the optimisation of results.