Ebonyi State government through the State FADAMA CARES Co-coordinating Office, (NG-CARES RESULT AREA 2) has distributed agro inputs to 2, 960 beneficiaries which includes individuals and groups across the 13 local government areas of the state whose farming businesses were devastated by COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking during the flag off, the State Governor, Francis Nwifuru said that he has directed all Stakeholders in the State to cultivate at least 2 hectares of land to ensure food sufficiency, food security and to end economic hardship and food scarcity in the country.
Governor Nwifuru who was represented by the State Deputy Governor, Princess Patricia Obila said that farming and food security has been the priority project of the present administration adding that the administration has mapped out a lot of policies and programmes in place to meet the farming needs of the people.
He urged the people to be patient with the administration of President Bola Tinubu adding that sooner than later, the hardship being witnessed will be fully addressed.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Princess Nkechinyere Inyioku said that the state governor recently procured 15 number tractors and organized training for farmers in the state geared towards food sufficiency.
She noted that the benefiting farmers were profiled from their different communities and were judged as real and genuine farmers before they were profiled.
Princess Iyioku maintained that modalities have been put in place to ensure that all those profiled receive their inputs adding that there won’t be any room for diversion of the inputs.
In an address during the flag off of the distribution exercise, the State Project Co-coordinator, Ebonyi FADAMA CARES, Dr. Benjamin Uguru said that the beneficiaries were given grants to access crop and livestock inputs.
He said that the items distributed includes, rice seeds, cassava cuttings, fertilizer and agro chemicals, broiler(DOC), pig feeds and fish(Juveniles) adding that others includes rice thresher, Cassava grater, water pump, grinding machines, knapsacks prayer/PPE and weaners pigs.
He said that the agency will rehabilitate 50 number feeder roads and 13 number wet markets will be upgraded to function safely adding that the programme will support rice and Cassava farmers to produce maximally to ensure food self-sufficiency and enhance livelihood and improved standard of living.
The FADAMA CARES Co-ordinator noted that the areas of intervention are where Ebonyi State has comparative advantage over other crop and livestock production.
Dr. Uguru said that apart from rehabilitating the feeder roads, the programmes will also carry out oil conservation measures such as erosion control.
“The beneficiaries are those farmers who are poor and vulnerable, whose farming businesses have been devastated by COVID-19 pandemic, who formed themselves into groups and individuals and who have been carefully selected through laid down criteria.
Result Area 2 also deemed it important to procure agricultural assets for production and processing to mitigate against food loss and waste in the State after a thorough assessment of the State’s need.
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