Abuja — Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North), has launched a N2.79 billion loan scheme to support farmers across the 186 local government areas in the seven states of the Northwest Zone, aimed at boosting food security and empowering young agricultural entrepreneurs.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Barau, represented by his Special Adviser on Policy and Monitoring, Professor Bashir Muhammad Fagge, disclosed that the initiative, tagged the Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the Northwest (BIARN), seeks to empower 558 young farmers in the zone.
“Each beneficiary will receive an interest-free N5 million loan to invest in farming this season. The total sum of N2.79 billion will be disbursed to beneficiaries,” Barau stated.
Under the program, 69 young farmers will be selected from Kaduna, 132 from Kano, 63 from Kebbi, 102 from Katsina, 81 from Jigawa, 69 from Sokoto, and 42 from Zamfara.
Barau emphasized the importance of food security, describing it as essential to individual, community, and national stability.
“Decades ago, the North, especially the Northwest, was the country’s food basket, producing agricultural products for consumption and export. Unfortunately, that is now history. This initiative aims to restore the region’s agricultural prominence,” he said.
The program will focus on maize and rice cultivation to ensure increased crop yields, reduce food costs, and enhance food security.
“The beneficiaries will be guided in cultivating maize and rice to achieve optimal yields. This will significantly boost food production, reduce the cost of food items, and contribute to national food security,” he added.
Barau’s foundation, the Barau I Jibrin Foundation (BIJF), is partnering with a national financial institution to implement the project, which is scheduled for full launch in April 2025, ahead of the farming season.
The Deputy Senate President highlighted the scheme’s role in empowering agricultural-minded youth and revolutionizing agricultural production in the region.
“The central concept behind this scheme is to revolutionize agricultural production in northwestern Nigeria by empowering youths with a background in agriculture,” he concluded.
