The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has launched a digital Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) platform to oversee the rollout of its N19.5bn AgGrow Farm Support Programme.
The initiative, unveiled in Abuja, would provide 50 per cent subsidies on seeds, fertilisers, and crop protection products (CPPs) to 50,000 smallholder farmers in the maize, rice, cassava, and soybeans value chains across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Speaking at the launch, Executive Secretary of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, described the platform as a game-changer.
According to him, “This platform ensures that every seed, every input, and every naira invested is properly tracked from distribution to usage, so that we can keep learning, improving, and delivering results aligned with national priorities.”
The AgGrow scheme connects farmers directly to processors through structured outgrower arrangements.
NADF will fully finance the inputs, and processors will repay half the value after harvest.
This approach aims to close the gap between farmers and processors, reduce reliance on middlemen, and improve raw material sourcing for the agro-processing sector.
Ibrahim emphasised the importance of transparency and efficiency in the project, stating, “We have gone to great lengths to create a framework and a software to enhance the quality of our M&E, knowing that end-to-end supervision of the project is crucial for us as a Fund.”
He noted that to ensure accountability, all participating farmers must be registered with a Bank Verification Number(BVN) or National Identity Number(NIN).
He explained that their farms will be geo-tagged and biometrically verified, adding that “Weekly reports, third-party audits, and strict compliance measures will ensure that the inputs are properly used and results are tracked.”
