The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) is expected to invest $800m to implement the Technologies for Africa Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) outreach programme in Africa.
Professor Krishan Bheenick, Lead Specialist, Capacity Development for TAAT, stated this yesterday in Abuja during the training-the-trainer on the establishment of innovations platforms as technology outreach instrument for scaling technologies on ten commodities in Nigeria.
“Across the continent, we expect to reach 40 million farmers. In terms of the funds, we are trying to mobilize for implementation of the project is around $ 800 million,” Professor Bheenick, said during a press briefing at the event.
The selected commodities for the programme include rice, maize, Cassava, wheat, sorghum and millet. Others are fish, small-ruminant, sweet potato, and the fall armyworm control.
Also speaking, Professor Tunji Orokoyo, head, Nigerian forum on Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services lamented that the state governments in the country were not investing enough in agriculture.
He said there is currently one extension officer to over 10,000 farmers against the global standard of one extension officer to 800 farmers.
