The Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN) has yet to fully commence operations due to a funding challenge affecting its partner agency, the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).
Chairman of the initiative, 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.
BIARN was unveiled in March last year by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau I. Jibrin, in partnership with BOA. The initiative is designed to transform agricultural activities across the North West and encourage young Nigerian graduates to embrace farming.
Under the programme, 558 young farmers are expected to benefit from loans ranging from N1 million to N5 million to cultivate rice and maize across the seven North West states. The initiative aligns with the food security and youth empowerment drive under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the BOA management, interested applicants were invited to apply for participation in the programme. However, implementation has been delayed due to cash flow challenges at the partner agency.
According to the statement, the list of successful applicants will be released once the funding issues are resolved.
Applicants were urged to remain patient as the board of the initiative, led by Professor Muhammad, continues to engage the management of BOA to address the challenge.
The statement also commended the management of BOA for supporting the initiative and working towards resolving funding issues in the agricultural sector.
Through the programme, Senator Barau aims to harness the potential of young Nigerians, strengthen food security, and reposition agriculture as a major driver of economic growth in the North West.
