600 Niger farmers to receive interest-free loans

The Niger State Government says 600 farmers across the state will receive interest-free loans under the federal government’s FarmerMoni scheme.

Bologi Ibrahim, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Mohammed Bago, said this in a statement issued on Wednesday, adding that the beneficiaries would be selected across the state’s 25 local government areas.

The scheme is one of three components of the Renewed Hope Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP 3.0), a federal social intervention initiative designed to provide financial support to smallholder farmers, artisans, market women and petty traders.

According to the statement, the programme is part of the federal government’s plan to reach about five million beneficiaries across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas by 2027.

The state government said its Social Investment Programmes Office, working with the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), had begun preparations for the programme through an enumeration and capacity-building exercise for GEEP desk officers from the 25 local government areas.

The training is intended to equip the officers to identify, register, and verify farmers through digital data collection, including capturing their personal information and farm locations.

Hauwa Mohammed, the governor’s Special Adviser on Social Investment Programmes and the state’s NSIP focal person, said the exercise would help ensure that the intervention reaches eligible farmers.

However, the government did not disclose the amount each farmer would receive, the repayment period, eligibility requirements or when disbursement would begin. It also did not explain how the 600 beneficiaries would be selected from the wider farming population.

The proposed loans come as the Niger State Government continues to promote agriculture under its New Niger Agenda.

The state government has also received support from the Islamic Development Bank for projects in the state, including a proposed education programme.

As PREMIUM TIMES reported, the bank plans to establish five smart boarding schools in Niger State under its $110 million Smart Education Transformation Project, which also covers Yobe and Jigawa states.

The FarmerMoni scheme is expected to provide financial support to selected farmers, although the government has yet to publish details of the loan amounts and disbursement arrangements.