The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has begun engagement with the German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA) towards establishment of agricultural industrial projects in Nigeria.
Aliyu Abdulhameed, Managing Director, NIRSAL, while receiving the German delegates on Thursday in Abuja said that the engagement with the German Agribusiness Alliance is aimed at creating a platform for pooling and exchanging economic ideas and interests to boost the success around agriculture and agribusiness in Nigeria.
According to him, the partnership with German Agribusiness Alliance is one of such significant collaborations that will strengthen the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Germany towards promoting sustainable investments in Nigeria.
He said “The partnership with the German Agribusiness Alliance and by extension, German agribusinesses, has been identified as a potential strategic leverage for obtaining invaluable benefits for NIRSAL and Nigeria towards the establishment of agro-industrial projects”.
He further explained that the partnership will have enormous impact in Nigeria’s rural communities, given that upstream segment of Nigeria’s agricultural value chain is dominated by smallholders in rural areas adding that with the pull and push vibrations in the upstream segment, the midstream and downstream will also be impacted.
Abdulhameed further stressed that it is imperative that the finance, technology and equipment capitals required to completely revive the Agriculture Sector are sought at home and abroad to harness the vast arable lands, adequate rainfall and sunshine, and the huge market in Nigeria.
“NIRSAL will continue to source, identify and enter into partnerships that improve its relevance to Nigeria and Nigerians”.
According to him, NIRSAL will be able to leverage on the GAA’s global network in supporting the agriculture/agribusiness sector by attracting investments into Nigeria.
Frank Nordmann, President, German Agribusiness Alliance in his remark said that the collaboration aims at providing the support needed to improve the Nigeria agricultural value chain as well as promote healthy food for local consumption.
“We represent the whole agricultural value chain, we are bringing the technology and knowledge to support the Nigeria farmers to as well as ensure improved agricultural yield to feed the Nigeria population”.
Nordmann speaking further said that the projects also focus on job creation, building the capacity of farmers on best practices as well as use of farm machinery to aid production of quality foods for exports.
“We have visited the vice president and the central bank to present our business, we bring together all the necessary players in the value chain to create a win-win situation for the Nigeria farmers to produce healthy good food that can be consumed locally as well as exported”.
“In the first stage we sought partners but when we begin the production of food, we would need factories and workers and this will create jobs for the youths”.
Babashani Abdulrahman, CEO, Mubarak farm, said that the collaboration is a step in the right direction as it addresses access to finance and technology which has remain a challenge to farming in Nigeria.
Abdulrahman, speaking further said that the testing viability of land remain a missing angle that needs to be fixed, adding that there is need for lands to be tested before they are used.
“We also need to focus on the viability of the lands, the old fields should be savaged. Lands should be tested to know what land can be used for planting so as to increase our agricultural yield”.
Cynthia Egboboh, Abuja
