A Nigerian firm, WACOT Limited, in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), has kicked off its 2026 Sesame Outgrower Programme in Jigawa State.
Over 10,000 smallholder farmers are targeted to benefit from the scheme with access to finance, quality inputs, extension services and improved farming practices.
The parties are implementing the initiative under the Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Programme. They commenced it by distributing agricultural inputs to farmers in Medu Village, Gagarawa local government area of the state.
Under the new partnership with BoA, the participating farmers will receive input loans and repay them with farm produce after the harvest. Extension services will also be provided to help them improve productivity, crop quality and long-term sustainability.
The partnership covers other crops and states, including rice farmers in Kebbi State and maize and soybean farmers in Katsina State. At the launch of programme in Jigawa recently, the managing director of WACOT Limited, Mr Naveen Chaurasia, said the company was committed to maintaining international quality standards while ensuring that farmers benefited from the value chain.
He said, “When farmers succeed, everyone benefits,” stressing that stronger farmer livelihoods would contribute to the growth of the wider agricultural ecosystem.
The head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at TGI Group, Yosola Onanuga, said WACOT had consistently invested in farmers’ capacity through training, extension services and sustainable agricultural practices.
She described the BoA partnership as another milestone, providing subsidised agricultural input loans and a structured repayment system for farmers. Representing the BoA managing director, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, the executive director of Operations, Tosin Salami, described the collaboration as an example of how partnerships could deliver sustainable value across Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
A beneficiary farmer, Laure Haladu, SWACOT’s intervention had improved farming practices and increased yields, while skills such as soap and briquette making had created additional income opportunities for women.
In a press statement issued to journalists in Abuja, WACOT, a subsidiary of TGI Group, said the initiative, which began in 2018 as a pilot scheme, has expanded into one of Nigeria’s major contract farming programmes, covering over 10,000 farmers across eight local government areas in Jigawa.
WACOT said over the past seven years, it had disbursed more than N1 billion in input credit, providing farmers with certified seeds, fertilizers, and crop protection products, as well as technical support through its Farmers Academy and extension services.
The programme, according to WACOT, emphasizes increasing the participation of women and youths while promoting climate-smart and sustainable farming practices.
The launch attracted government officials, traditional leaders, development partners, farmers and other stakeholders, with activities including input distribution, agronomic demonstrations, financial literacy sessions, and farmers’ testimonials.
