By Correspondent in Minna.
The USAID-funded Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity which is implemented by Mercy Corps Nigeria has donated agricultural equipment worth N5 million to five women-owned cowpea processors from Bida, Bosso, and Chachanga Local Government Areas of Niger state.
Our Correspondent reports that Mercy corps, an NGO,works in many countries around the world to alleviate suffering of the people. It has been in Nigeria since 2012. The Covid-19 response under Feed the Future-Rural Resilience Activity is funded by USAID.
The equipment distributed include hammer mills, dehydrators, de-stoners, threshers, and generators.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Minna, the Country Director of the NGO, Mr Ndubisi Anyanwu, said that the programme was meant to improve households’ nutrition and food security, improve women’s productivity and competitiveness in agribusiness, as well as strengthen the productivity of producer organizations
“They are expected to improve the production capacity of the women-owned cowpea processors by 40 per cent.
“The Rural Resilience Activity understands that the challenges of access and agency for women and youths in Nigeria, exacerbated by conflict high levels of insecurity and health shocks such as COVID-19, inhibit their participation in the productive sphere, particularly their entry into the market systems as producers and entrepreneurs,” she said.
Anyanwu disclosed that the cowpea processing equipment were distributed to total of 40 women-owned small and medium enterprises in Kebbi, Niger, Ebonyi, Benue, Borno, Yobe, Maiduguri, Adamawa, Gombe and the FCT.
The Country Director stated that the programme aligned with and reinforced the Rural Resilience Activity’s approach to Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE).
He added that through the COVID-19 Mitigation Response programme, cash transfers had been made to 51,727 participants, including smallholder farmers, livestock producers, members of agricultural cooperatives and 4,321 micro-enterprise owners.
The Chief of Party, Rural Resilience Activity, Mrs Margarita Aswani,stated that the programme, in the long term,would ensure that the women processors produce high quality processed cowpea products and extend their market reach, become more competitive and increase their productivity.
“This is part of Mercy Corps Nigeria’s approach for sustainability, ensuring linkages between the Rural Resilience Activity’s Market Systems Approach and the COVID-19 Mitigation Response program,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries of the programme, from Bida local government area, Ashetu Musa said that the hammer mills would help increase the capacity of her farm produce and expressed optimism that she would make the desired profit from it.
She recalled that in the past, she usually take her beans to other communities for milling but the donation of the hammer mills would reduce processing time for her and her team.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
