The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has invited eligible agricultural aggregation companies and produce offtakers to apply for its Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value-Chain Fund for the 2026/27 dry season.

The programme is designed to support smallholder farmers with affordable financing, quality agricultural inputs, irrigation equipment, extension services and access to produce buyers. It operates through approved aggregation partners that organise farmers, coordinate production and link agricultural produce to markets.

However, the opportunity is not a direct grant application for individual farmers. BOA’s official application page invites Farmer Aggregator Companies (FACs) to participate as accredited partners.

The fund aims to strengthen agricultural production and market access through participating businesses. Support includes affordable agricultural financing; quality seeds, fertiliser and crop-protection products; irrigation equipment and related production assistance; extension and advisory services; and harvest aggregation and connections to produce buyers.

The assistance is delivered through the programme’s financing and implementation arrangements. Applicants should review BOA’s terms and conditions rather than assume the support is an outright cash grant.

Eligibility requirements

The expression of interest targets Farmer Aggregator Companies and other eligible agricultural businesses that coordinate smallholder farmers or manage produce offtake.

According to BOA’s official programme information, applicants are expected to meet the following requirements:

• Registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
• At least three years of experience in agricultural aggregation, out-grower management or value-chain coordination.
• Audited financial statements covering the last three years.
• Annual turnover of at least ₦500 million.
• Valid tax clearance and relevant pension, Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) compliance documentation.
• An established network of farmers, clusters or cooperatives.
• The capacity to distribute farm inputs, manage harvests and provide extension support.
• Adequate warehousing, logistics and market-linkage capacity.
• Registration with relevant agricultural regulatory bodies.
• A bank reference letter indicating willingness to provide a credit facility, if required.

Prospective applicants should consult the bank’s official checklist to confirm the complete eligibility criteria and supporting documentation.

Required documents

Applicants are expected to prepare the following documents:

• A formal application or cover letter.
• CAC incorporation documents and Memorandum and Articles of Association.
• Audited financial statements for 2022, 2023 and 2024.
• Tax clearance certificates for 2022, 2023 and 2024.
• PENCOM, ITF and NSITF compliance certificates.
• Evidence of registration with relevant agricultural bodies.
• A bank reference letter and a one-year bank statement.
• Evidence of similar projects completed within the last three years.
• Details of warehousing and logistics capacity.
• Production economics for targeted cash crops.
• A NIRSAL letter of intent to guarantee, where required.

Documents must be clearly labelled and submitted in PDF format, except where the application page specifies another format.

Application deadline and submission process

A recent programme notice lists November 2, 2026, as the application deadline. However, the deadline was not displayed on the BOA page reviewed, so applicants should confirm the date directly with the bank before submitting their applications.

Interested businesses can apply by visiting the official BOA Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value-Chain Fund page. Applicants should review the eligibility requirements, prepare the necessary documents, register or log in through the linked application portal, and complete and submit the expression of interest.

For enquiries, BOA provides the telephone number 0700 220 1230 and email address customerservice@boanig.com.

Individual smallholder farmers interested in benefiting from the scheme should contact an eligible aggregator or cooperative to determine whether their farms can be included in a participating farmer network.

Source: Bank of Agriculture (BOA)