Abia Govt Begins Agric Loan Disbursement To 302 Youths

Abia State government has begun disbursing interest-free agriculture loans ranging from N1m to N1.5m to 302 youths in the state it trained in various areas of agriculture.

The commissioner for agriculture, Okey Kanu announced this, yesterday, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of this week’s executive council meeting in Umuahia, the capital.

“The process for the disbursement of the loan had begun. This followed the flag-off and approval of the exercise by Governor Alex Otti sometime in September,” he noted.

Kanu said the disbursement will be in tranches on milestones that will be tied to the level of extent of work done by the beneficiaries against one balloon system.

He explained that the ministry of agriculture will be involved in the exercise to ensure the loan is used for the areas of training undertaken by the beneficiaries.

He also announced that the state will participate in celebrating the 2024 World Food Day with the theme “The Right To Food For a better life and a better Future” on Wednesday.

“The day is reserved or used to raise awareness about food security and to take action against country-wide hunger and malnutrition,” the commissioner noted.

Contributing, his agriculture counterpart, Cliff Agbaeze said the event will provide opportunities for farmers to showcase their produce, and interact with others and stakeholders in the sector.