World Bank to support renewable energy schemes

In a bid to boost the agric sector, the World Bank iwill finance the use of solar power and other sources of renewable energy on farms.

Task Team Leader, Commercial Agriculture Development  Project of the World Bank, Dr Lucas Akapa said  this yesterday in Lagos at the 8th Joint  FGN/World Bank  Mission meeting .

He said farmers are losing a lot of their products because of poor power supply.

Akapa  said  the World Bank wants to  ensure a continuous supply of energy for  farmers  in the five states benefitting  from Commercial  Agriculture Development  Project. The states are Cross Rivers, Enugu , Kaduna , Kano  and Lagos States.

He said the project will encourage farmers to diversify into renewable energy, adding that a proposal to include renewable energy support will be considered under the energy component  of the project.

The World Bank official said  the bank  will work  to explore the possibility of using  palm oil production waste to produce energy in Cross River State.