The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria says the federal government is targeting to empower over 100, 000 rice farmers in Adamawa for wet season farming.

Adamawa state coordinator of RIFAN, Hon. Wafarniyi Theman who has indicated interest to run for the office of the governor of the state in the 2023 elections under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, made this known at the weekend in Yola.

Wafarniyi who was speaking to journalists after receiving an award from the rice farmers in Yola South local government commended President Muhammadu Buhari for creating the Anchor Borrowers programs which aimed to empower farmers with soft loans, seedlings, and farming implement to improve food production and attain food security in the country.

“It’s all about rice farming in Nigeria for food security and employment generation. I’m so happy that I’ve met a multitude of real farmers in Adamawa state particularly Yola south and we desire that we meet the real farmers that the federal government through the anchor borrowers program is intending to empower as many Nigerians as possible.

“RIFAN and commodity association has been on this project and we give glory to God that the government of President Muhammad Bihari has come up with this anchor borrowers program,” he said.

Wafarniyi, who doubles as the state secretary of the caretaker executive committee of the APC said over one hundred thousand farmers in Adamawa state will benefit from the Anchor Borrowers program this year.

He however warned that only real farmers who go to the farm will be attended to.

“In Adamawa state for this wet season alone we are prepared to at least empower not less than one hundred thousand farmers. But the farmers that we are looking for will have to be the real farmers, those that will go to the farm and each one will at least cultivate a heater of rice which we know that going by best agronomic practices, each farmer will be able to harvest between 70 to 80 bag a of rice which will give us food sufficiency and of course and at the end, it will increase the GDP of Nigeria,” he stressed.

If this target is achieved and fully utilized, Adamawa state will regain its place as one of the leading rice-producing states in the country.