The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has opened applications for its 2026/2027 Dry Season Financing Programme under the Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value-Chain Programme to enable smallholder farmers to continue production beyond the rainy season.
The initiative is designed to expand agricultural production, improve farmers incomes and strengthen Nigeria’s food security by providing financing and support to verified farmer clusters engaged in dry-season farming.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BOA, Ayo Sotinrin, highlighted the importance of dry-season farming as an opportunity for farmers to increase production, generate additional income and grow their agribusinesses beyond the conventional rainy-season farming cycle.
Under the programme, financing will cover essential agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilisers and crop protection products, as well as irrigation operating costs required to sustain production during the dry season.
Participating farmer clusters will also benefit from extension services, aggregation support and structured market linkages designed to connect agricultural production with reliable buyers. The financing arrangement provides for repayment at harvest, helping to align farmers repayment obligations with their production cycle.
The programme will be implemented through Farmer Aggregation Companies (FACs) and offtakers with established farmer networks. These organisations will play a key role in identifying farmers, coordinating production activities and facilitating access to markets.
To ensure effective utilisation of funds and support successful production, participating farmer clusters will undergo verification. The process will confirm that the hectares proposed for financing have access to adequate water for irrigation and sustained dry-season cultivation.
By linking financing with essential inputs, irrigation, technical support and market access, BOA aims to address some of the challenges that limit smallholder farmers ability to produce throughout the year.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen agricultural value chains by improving coordination among farmers, aggregators and offtakers, while creating opportunities for increased production and more reliable supplies of agricultural commodities.
Applications are currently open to eligible Farmer Aggregation Companies and offtakers interested in participating in the 2026/2027 Dry Season Financing Programme.
Interested applicants are required to submit their applications through the bank’s designated portal before the November 2, 2026 deadline.
Applications can be submitted through the official BOA application portal: https://boanig.com/rh-shf/.
For further enquiries, applicants can contact BOA Customer Care on 0700 220 1230 or via email at customerservice@boanig.com.
Through the programme, the Bank of Agriculture continues its efforts to expand access to agricultural financing, support smallholder farmers and advance the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly its objectives of increasing agricultural production and strengthening national food security.
