The Chairman of the Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN) has confirmed that the initiative is yet to commence due to cash flow challenges affecting its partner agency.
Chairman of the initiative, Professor Bashir Fagge Muhammad, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir.
The statement explained that BIARN was unveiled in March last year by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA). The initiative aims to revolutionise agriculture and encourage young Nigerian graduates to venture into farming.
He said the programme was designed to empower 558 young farmers with loans ranging from N1 million to N5 million for rice and maize cultivation across the seven North-Western states, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security and youth empowerment.
He added that following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the BOA management, applicants were invited to participate in the initiative. However, implementation was stalled due to cash flow challenges.
According to the statement, the list of successful applicants will be released once the funding issue is resolved.
Applicants were therefore urged to remain patient, as the board of the initiative, under the chairmanship of Professor Bashir Fagge Muhammad, is working closely with the BOA management to address the challenge.
The statement noted that through the programme, the Deputy President of the Senate aims to harness the potential of Nigerian youths, enhance food security, and restore agriculture as a cornerstone of the North-West economy.
REL/ Bashir M
