The Niger government, in collaboration with the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), is targeting 600 farmers in the state for N300,000 interest-free loans each.

The loans are under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

Hamza Baba, the national programme manager of GEEP, disclosed this on Saturday in Minna at the flag-off of the FarmerMoni enumeration exercise and the training of GEEP desk officers from the state’s 25 local government areas.

Mr Baba said the loans were designed to enable small-scale farmers to purchase agricultural inputs, improve productivity and increase output in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

He explained that the trained desk officers would identify, register, and verify eligible farmers engaged in crop cultivation, poultry, livestock, fishery, and aquaculture across the state.

According to him, the registration process will involve digitally capturing farmers’ photographs, biometrics, National Identification Numbers (NIN), and farm locations to verify their identities and confirm the authenticity of their farming activities.

Mr Baba said each beneficiary would receive N300,000, repayable within one year, with repayment expected to begin six months after farming activities commence.

He added that the agency would monitor the utilisation and repayment of the loans in collaboration with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) and the local government desk officers to ensure accountability and proper use of the funds.

Ibrahim Inga, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, described the initiative as a complementary effort by the federal government to support the state government’s poverty reduction programmes.

Mr Inga said the involvement of relevant stakeholders was aimed at ensuring transparency, due diligence and the selection of genuine beneficiaries who would benefit from the intervention.

Similarly, Hauwa Mohammed, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Social Investment Programme, said the exercise was part of the state’s efforts to implement GEEP, which comprised FarmerMoni, MarketMoni and TraderMoni.

Mr Mohammed said the desk officers had been provided with tablets to capture farmers and their farmlands, adding that the exercise would help prevent the inclusion of fictitious beneficiaries and ensure that the loans reached genuine farmers across the state.

(NAN)