NADF Engages Stakeholders to Strengthen Farm Input Delivery

The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has engaged agricultural processors, consultants and other stakeholders at a roundtable discussion to review the first phase of its Farm Input Supply Programme and fine-tune strategies for improved implementation in the next phase.

The engagement, tagged NADF–Farm Input Supply Programme Roundtable, brought together farmer representatives, processors, policy experts and members of the media to assess challenges encountered during the pilot phase and propose solutions ahead of the next farming season.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, represented by the General Manager, Partnerships and Investor Relations, Nasiru Ingawa, said the programme was designed to address the challenge of timely access to quality farm inputs, especially for smallholder farmers.

 He noted that while the objectives of the pilot phase were clear, its implementation was affected by logistics delays and weather-related factors that disrupted planting cycles and yields.

Ingawa said the roundtable was convened to enable the Fund to learn from the pilot phase and improve programme design, coordination and delivery mechanisms.

 He added that the next phase would focus on strengthening quality assurance, improving logistics and timelines, and integrating climate-risk considerations into planning and implementation.

Participants at the roundtable commended the programme’s objectives and subsidy component but raised concerns about government importation policies, logistics challenges and falling commodity prices, which they said could affect farmers’ ability to repay loans.

The NADF assured stakeholders that their contributions would help shape a more efficient, transparent and climate-responsive second phase of the programme aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and food security.

The programme is running concurrently in Lagos and Kano States, engaging processors from the southern and northern parts of the country.