The NIAA Chief of Party, Prakash Kant Silwal, expressed profound optimism about the partnership. He charged the farmers to be good recipients of the support, grow more, and pay back the inputs provided in due course. He used the occasion to reiterate the Activity’s efforts to support smallholder farmers in Adamawa and Borno states.
In her remarks, the FCSL Chief Executive Officer Naona Usoro explained that her organization acknowledges IITA’s global recognition and the Activity’s remarkable performance in the target states. This informed the decision to collaborate. She expects that the partnership will transcend rice farming and extend to cultivating other grains such as maize in subsequent seasons.
Several dignitaries and senior government officials witnessed the ceremony, including the Adamawa State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Umar Iya Daware; Commissioner for Aquaculture Development, Mr Usman Yahaya Diyajo; Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Lami Ahmed; Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehab, Reintegration, and Humanitarian Service, Mr Elijah Tumba. They also participated in the input distribution to selected farmers.