The National Agricultural Commodities Project (NACP) has advised farmers that the messages circulating around requesting payment for upcoming dry season farming operations are not genuine.
To avoid becoming victims of fraud, the group advised farmers and other agro-commodity associations to thoroughly verify information with relevant bodies.
A statement from NACP signed by the Chairman/CEO, Dr John Aderibigbe, and the Secretary General, Dr Austine Maduka, cautioned farmers, processors, and other value chain actors to “beware of false claims.”
“Be cautious of messages containing incorrect information, including: Collection of N3,000 from farmers for data digitisation and onboarding to the National Farmers Data Bank, data capture from September 15 to October 15, distribution of inputs in November, including water pumping machines, fertilisers, seeds, and herbicides and federal government paying 69% of the total cost as palliative to boost agriculture and food security,” the statement read in part.
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The statement further stated that the National Agricultural Commodities Project initiatives are driven by public-private partnerships (PPP), where farmers contribute equity and pay balance of production at harvest.
They urged the public to get reliable information on dry season farming initiatives, their officials across the states, adding that, “They’ll provide accurate and up-to-date information on our various programmes.”