Beneficiaries with their agro equipment
By Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
* 840 farmers get agro equipment
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has expressed his administration’s readiness to support the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) programme in the state.
This is just as the programme has distributed N109 million worth of agro equipment to 840 rural farmers in the state.
Speaking at the Michael Okpara Square, during the distribution of the IFAD/FGN’s-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) agro equipment, Mbah thanked IFAD/FGN for the partnership with the state.
The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, commended the organisation for its commitment in assisting farmers through its programmes aimed at increasing food production in the state.
He further lauded IFAD for focusing largely on women empowerment, saying that the approach would help to reduce poverty in rural communities.
Mbah directed that all the equipment, which must be given to the farmers, should be closely monitored.
He urged the beneficiaries to put the items to proper use in order to realise the set goals of the empowerment programme.
The items distributed included 500 bags of fertilizers, 10 tricycles, 55 water pumps, 115 knapsack sprayers, five fufu pounders, 50 seed planters and five rice milling machines.
Others were five haulers and polishing machines, 10 grater cassava polishing machines, 20 rice harvesters and 25 starter packs for confectioneries.
Also, 40 of the 840 farmers supported were empowered with POS.
The National Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu, commended Mbah for paying off the outstanding four years arrears of the counterpart funds.
Aliyu described the governor’s gesture as a testament of the State Government’s commitment toward the development of agriculture and poverty reduction in the state.
Aliyu advocated the judicious use of the equipment by the beneficiaries, urging them not to disappoint the State Government that had immensely supported the programme.
The State Programme Coordinator, Dr Edward Isiwu, explained that the VCDP programme was tailored along market development and productivity enhancement, rice and cassava value chains.
According to him, the programme is aimed at reducing rural poverty, increasing food security, and accelerating economic growth on a sustainable basis.
The chairman, Isi-Uzo LGA, Mr Obiora Obeagu, expressed happiness with the programme in the state, assuring that the beneficiaries in his area put the inputs to proper use.
A beneficiary, Vera Onyekachukwu from Udenu local government area, who got a tricycle, thanked the state government and VCDP for the gesture.
She said that the tricycle will make it easier for her to evacuate cassava from the farm to the market.
