Edo keen to support agro finance – Commissioner

The Edo State commissioner for agriculture, Prince Joe Okojie has said the state would provide the necessary support for the sustenance of the Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) for farmers.
Prince Okojie made the remarks in Benin when the team of the 11thFederal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) supervision mission for RUFIN to the state paid him a courtesy visit.
RUFIN is a project implemented by the federal government and IFAD to enhance microfinance access for rural poverty reduction and financial services to rural poor farmers, particularly women, physically challenged people and youths.
The commissioner stated that he takes particular interest and liking in the programme since the project was directed to people at the grassroots.
Earlier, the IFAD Country Programme Manager, Atsuko Toda while underscoring the important of smallholders’ farmers’ access to credit facilities said RUFIN works to ensure financial inclusion for the rural poor farmers.
Toda said some of the challenges faced by the RUFIN project in the state were the inability of the state government to pay its counterpart funding.