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Japan grants Kwara, Nasarawa $298,000 to boost rice production

 

The Japanese government has signed a $298,095 partnership contract
with the Nasarawa and Kwara state governments to boost rice
production.
The project, an initiative of the Nasarawa Agricultural Development
Program, NADP and the Tabitha Cumi Foundation will be implemented in
collaboration with Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Olam Nigeria Limited,
under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security
Projects, GGP. At the contract signing ceremony in Abuja on Friday,
Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Gana Yisa pledged the commitment of
Japan to the growth and development of agriculture in Nigeria.
Yisa added that the project would see the Asian giant assist the
beneficiaries with power tillers and combined harvesters in Doma and
Edu local government areas in Nasarawa and Kwara states respectively.
According to the ambassador, “Japan and Nigeria are two rice consuming
nations and so we believe this partnership will go a long way in
strengthening our bilateral cooperation particularly in the area of
agriculture.”
He commended the two states for their robust agricultural policies,
stressing that when properly harnessed, agriculture can replace oil as
the nation?s major revenue earner.
Speaking on behalf of the Nasarawa state government, Professor Otaki
Alanana, Commissioner of Agriculture and Water Resources described the
initiative as laudable, urging the Japanese government to take
advantage of the agricultural potentials in the country for investment
purposes.
Executive Director of the Tabitha Cumi Foundation, Tayo Erinle said
with the grant, a good number of women and rural dwellers would be
assisted to tackle the challenges of unemployment and poverty.
She said: “Our foundation is working directly with about 2,000
farmers, especially women. We have been partnering with Japanese
government for long and they have assisted us in taking many women
back to the classrooms. Now, with this grant, we are shifting to
agriculture.
“There is no telling how far this will go in assisting rural dwellers
to make their dreams come true. On our part, we shall continue to do
everything possible, as a faith-based organization, to assist the less
privileged members of the society.”
So far, over 170 projects worth about $12 million have been
implemented under the GGP scheme.

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