₦300,000, No Interest, No Collateral: Radda Flags Off FarmerMoni Enumeration as Katsina Farmers Eye Federal Loans

The event, held on Thursday at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Katsina, was organised in collaboration with the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), which runs the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

FarmerMoni, GEEP’s agricultural component, offers eligible smallholder farmers loans of up to ₦300,000, with no interest and no collateral.

Speaking at the event, Governor Radda reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to boosting agricultural productivity, empowering young people and creating opportunities for entrepreneurship in farming.

He highlighted the state’s investments in agricultural training, fertiliser distribution, mechanisation and irrigation, saying the interventions were aimed at raising farmers’ productivity and strengthening food security.

The governor commended the state GEEP management team and the national programme managers for their collaboration and acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s support for the initiative.

For Katsina, where most households depend on farming and livestock, access to affordable credit is critical. Many smallholders cannot borrow from commercial banks because they lack collateral or credit histories, and interest rates are often beyond their reach. That gap is what FarmerMoni is meant to fill.

The National Programme Manager of GEEP, Dr Hamza Ibrahim Baba, explained how the scheme works.

He stressed that the money is a loan, not a grant. FarmerMoni operates as a revolving fund, he said, so repayments by current beneficiaries make it possible for other farmers to benefit.

According to him, repayment is expected to begin six to nine months after disbursement, in line with the programme’s guidelines, a window designed to allow farmers to harvest and sell their produce before repaying.

He urged beneficiaries to use the loans strictly for agricultural purposes and to repay on time to keep the scheme sustainable.

Baba said the enumeration exercise would improve data collection, identify eligible beneficiaries and make loan distribution more transparent.

He gave the newly trained desk officers clear instructions:

He said the process must be guided by integrity and accountability.

His warning against extortion addresses a long-standing concern with social investment programmes, where beneficiaries have complained of officials or middlemen demanding payment to place their names on lists. For a scheme that depends on reaching genuine farmers, the honesty of desk officers is as important as the money itself.

FarmerMoni is part of the Renewed Hope GEEP 3.0, which the Federal Government relaunched this year under NSIPA.

At the inauguration of the GEEP 3.0 and FarmerMoni Technical Working Group in Abuja in February 2026, Baba announced the opening of an application portal and said the current phase was targeting more than 22,000 farmers across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, an average of about 28 farmers per LGAA Local Government Area, the third tier of government in Nigeria. There are 774..

That figure puts the scale of the programme in perspective. With demand for credit among smallholders far higher, competition for places is likely to be stiff, which makes fair and transparent selection all the more important.

GEEP has two other loan windows. TraderMoni supports petty traders, artisans and small-scale entrepreneurs in the informal sector, while MarketMoni serves market women and traders organised in cooperatives.

According to the official GEEP website, FarmerMoni beneficiaries may receive support in the form of certified inputs, such as improved seedlings, fertilisers, crop protection chemicals and mechanisation vouchers, rather than cash, to reduce the risk of funds being diverted. [Confirm with the state GEEP office whether Katsina beneficiaries will receive cash, inputs or a mix.]

Katsina is one of several states rolling out the scheme. In May, the programme was launched in Akwa Ibom, where Baba inaugurated FarmerMoni desk officers across all 31 local government areas.

The Katsina State GEEP Manager, Hajiya Karima, commended the state government and the national programme management for supporting economic empowerment.

She said Governor Radda’s Building Your Future Agenda demonstrated the state’s commitment to entrepreneurship, agricultural development and human capital development.

Karima urged the newly trained desk officers to carry out their duties professionally, provide accurate information and make sure the programme reaches the people it is meant for.

The success of FarmerMoni in Katsina will depend on three things.

The first is fair selection. With limited slots, farmers will want to see that beneficiaries are chosen on merit, not on connections or payments.

The second is timing. Loans or inputs that arrive after planting season do little good. Farmers will be watching to see whether disbursement matches the farming calendar.

The third is repayment. Because FarmerMoni is a revolving fund, its future depends on beneficiaries paying back. Low repayment would shrink the pool available to other farmers and weaken the case for expanding the scheme.

Insecurity adds a further challenge. Banditry has driven many farmers in parts of Katsina away from their fields, and loans cannot help farmers who cannot safely reach their land.

For now, the enumeration marks the start of the process. For thousands of smallholders across Katsina’s 34 local government areas, the question is whether their names will make the list and whether the support arrives in time to make a difference.

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Recommend Story 0 Share: About the author Auwal Isah Correspondent Katsina State, Nigeria

Auwal Isah is a Nigerian journalist and multimedia professional with experience in investigative reporting, news gathering, digital journalism, and multimedia content production. He has worked… Read full bio →

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