-By Ismail Auwal
A food processing and agribusiness company, Dantata Foods and Allied Products, has partnered with a UK based innovative and agric-technology firm (RegenFARM Limited), and the Foreign/Commonwealth Development Office of the British Government, to pioneer regenerative agriculture in Nigeria.
The project is reportedly the first of its kind in Nigeria, which will work under the company’s agricultural sector intervention (LINKS Project).
In a statement signed by the General Manager Corporate Services of the Dantata Foods and Allied Products Company Limited, Mr. Sanusi Bature, he mentioned that the tripartite partnership is aimed at increasing quality food production, enhancing export opportunities of Nigeria’s sgricultural commodities, and improving the soil fertility.
“It is a fact that Nigeria faces the challenges of soil degradation through flooding, erosion and continued cultivation, which led to lower productivity of farm produce in the country,” he said.
Bature added that, “the consistent application of inorganic fertilizer, pesticides, and weed control chemicals have been discovered to have negative implication to the sustainability of farm lands over the years.”
The company is supported by a financing mechanism of the CBN to venture into regenerative agriculture, as explained in the statement. “With a financing commitment from the Central Bank of Nigeria under the Prime Anchor Borrowers Programme, the consortium of private sector and government bodies would rollout an innovative approach to support smallholder farmers on the new techniques of regenerative agriculture in the country.“
He further explained that, ‘Over two hundred thousand farmers are expected to be engaged by the initiative on a long-term basis across some of the Nigerian states; which includes Kano, Cross River, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina, Kebbi, Benue, Niger and Plateau.”
In a partnership meeting, the Managing Director/CEO of RegenFARM Limited, Mr. Jason Haywarda, said “Regenerative agriculture would be an all-embracing opportunity for the agro-processing industry in the country, as the small holder farmer out-growers productivity, profitability and resilience to climate change will be greatly enhanced.”
On his part, the Chairman/CEO Dantata Foods and Allied Company Limited, Alh. Tajuddeen Aminu Dantata, confirmed that the partnership has already galvanized access to markets in UK and other parts of Europe for the organic commodities produced under the regenerative agriculture practices.
Dantata Foods & Allied Products Limited is a Nigerian company based in Kano
