Barau’s office: Why Agricultural Initiative in North West is yet to take off

The Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN) has yet to fully commence operations due to funding challenges affecting its partner agency. Chairman of the initiative, Professor Bashir Fagge Muhammad, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Ismail […]

The Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in the North West (BIARN) has yet to fully commence operations due to funding challenges affecting its partner agency.

Chairman of the initiative, Professor Bashir Fagge Muhammad, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Ismail Mudashir.

BIARN, unveiled in March 2025 by the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau I. Jibrin, is a collaborative effort with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

The programme is designed to drive agricultural transformation in the North West by supporting young graduates to venture into farming.

According to the statement, the initiative targets the empowerment of 558 young farmers with loans ranging from N1 million to N5 million for rice and maize cultivation across the seven North West states.

“The programme aligns with the food security and youth empowerment goals of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

“Although a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with BOA and applications received, implementation has been delayed due to cash flow issues within the partner institution.”

The statement assured that the list of successful applicants would be released once the funding bottleneck is resolved. Applicants were urged to remain patient as the board of the initiative continues to engage with BOA management to address the situation.

Despite the setback, the initiative’s leadership commended the BOA for its commitment to the programme and ongoing efforts to overcome the financial hurdles.

BIARN is expected to play a key role in boosting food production, creating employment opportunities for youths, and revitalising agriculture as a major economic driver in the North West region.