The Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) has revealed that it will partner with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) on improving the insurance cover of farmers across the country.

According to the agency, it is set to insure over 40 million farmers across Nigeria against disasters such as flooding.

Managing Director of NAIC, Mrs. Folashade Joseph made this disclosure in a meeting with AFAN executives in Abuja on Friday.

Joseph pointed out that the collaboration was timely given the losses incurred by farmers to flooding and other natural disasters.

She disclosed that plans to birth an initiative that will insure farmers particularly smallholder farmers, against occurrences of disasters and pay affordable premium were ongoing 

“NAIC’s drive has consistently been that every Nigerian farmer deserves to be protected from the effects of weather and other natural hazards.

“These hazards are mostly unpredictable and inescapable in the process of the primary production of agricultural commodities.

” It is noteworthy that the impact of these natural hazards on investment of these categories of farmers could be devastating to the point of driving such farmers into hopelessness and despondency,” she said.

Mrs. Joseph further explained that part of the association’s effort to help farmers mitigate the effect of losses was the annual sensitisation programmes organised to discuss the importance of insurance.

The target, in her remarks, was to give effective insurance cover to at least 10 million farmers, majority of whom do not have access to credit.

The insurance cover will be such that the guarantee given by the corporation would secure them during disaster of any sort, she revealed.

AFAN was however implored to educate its members on the benefits of taking insurance cover for their investments.