The Dantata Foods and Allied Products Company Limited (Nigeria) says it has partnered a UK-based innovative and Agric-technology firm, RegenFARM Limited and the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office of the British Government for the engagement of about 200,000 farmers for a newly – introduced agricultural project, called Regenerative Agriculture Project.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the tripartite partnership is aimed at increasing quality food production, enhancing export opportunities of Nigeria’s Agricultural commodities and improve the soil fertility, nutrients content and organic matter.
Disclosing the partnership in a statement on Saturday, the company’s General Manager, Corporate Services, Sanusi Bature, said the farmers would be drawn from Kano, Cross River, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina, Kebbi, Benue, Niger and Plateau states.
According to him, a technology platform has been designed to assist with the management of various food value chains, offering complete traceability from farmers to end users (customers).
“One of Africa’s leading food processing and Agribusiness companies, Dantata Foods and Allied Products Company Limited (Nigeria) in partnership with a UK based innovative and Agric-technology firm, RegenFARM Limited and the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office of the British Government, under its Agricultural sector intervention (LINKS Project) are delighted to announce the pioneering of Regenerative Agriculture project, the first of its kind in Nigeria.
“It is a fact that Nigeria faces the challenges of soil degradation through flooding, erosion and continued cultivation which led to lower productivity of farm produce in the country; the consistent application of inorganic fertilizer, pesticides and weed control chemicals have been discovered to have negative implication to the sustainability of farm lands over the years,” the statement reads in parts.
“With a financing commitment from The Central Bank of Nigeria under the Prime Anchor Borrowers Programme, the consortium of private sector and government bodies would rollout an innovative approach to support smallholder farmers on the new technics of Regenerative Agriculture practices in the country.
“Over two hundred thousand farmers (200,000) are expected to be engaged by the initiative on a long-term basis across a number of Nigerian states; which includes Kano, Cross River, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina, Kebbi, Benue, Niger and Plateau,” Mr Bature said.
In a partnership meeting, according to Mr Bature, the Managing Director/CEO of RegenFARM Limited Jason Haywarda said Regenerative Agriculture would be an all-embracing opportunity for the Agro-processing industry in the country, as the small holder farmer out-growers productivity, profitability and resilience to climate change will be greatly enhanced.
While responding, the Chairman/CEO Dantata Foods and Allied Company Limited Alh. Tajuddeen Aminu Dantatav confirmed that the partnership has already galvanized access to markets in UK and other parts of Europe for the organic commodities produced under the Regenerative Agriculture practices.
