Agriculture Bank and farmers’ group plan financing for 400,000 dry-season farmers

The Bank of Agriculture has partnered with the All-Farmers Association of Nigeria to provide financing for 400,000 farmers ahead of the 2026 dry-season farming cycle. The initiative is being implemented through the bank’s Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund. It is intended to support year-round food production and improve farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and irrigation equipment.

Under the agreement, AFAN will identify farmers through its national network and submit information including their locations, commodities, farm sizes and proposed dry-season acreage. The association will also identify Farmer Aggregation Companies with verifiable networks and the ability to coordinate participants. Approved financing will be channelled to eligible farmers through suitable aggregation companies.

Those companies will act as obligors and coordinate the distribution of approved inputs and other production requirements. The programme will also provide irrigation toolkits and other irrigation equipment. The stated aim is to reduce farmers’ dependence on rainfall and help them continue production beyond the main farming season.

BOA managing director Ayo Sotinrin said the bank’s responsibility was to ensure that farmers ready and able to produce could access financing, inputs and irrigation equipment. He said supporting production throughout the year would help farmers’ livelihoods and contribute to a more reliable food supply. The bank said participating farmers and aggregation companies would undergo verification, due diligence and credit assessment.

Participation will depend on satisfactory assessment and approval under the bank’s policies and requirements.