Anambra disburses N11m to 130 farmers

…Provides improved rice seeds, cassava stems, fertilisers

ABOUT 130 rice, cassava and poultry farmers living in rural communities of Awka North and South Local Government Areas  of Anambra State have benefitted N11.5 million grants from the state government for the current planting season.

  The fund is being disbursed under the auspices of FADAMA COVID-19 ACTION Recovery and Economic Stimulus (ARES) scheme.

  Items covered in the grants include certified rice seeds, improved Cassava cuttings, fertilisers, agro chemicals and day-old chicks, vaccines and feeds among others.

  Speaking while distributing the package in his office in Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) Awka, Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Foster Ihejiofor called on beneficiaries to put the inputs to good use in order to derive maximum benefits from the scheme.

  According to Ihejiofor, government selected the two areas for the pilot scheme in fulfillment of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo’s prioritsation of farming in his manifesto and the areas’ contribution to the state’s food chain.

  Explaining that government targets over 3,000 beneficiaries under the programme’s Phase I, Ihejiofor also said that Gov. Soludo approved the grant, despite the state’s meager resources, to justify his call on the people to take their farming activities very seriously in return for better living standard.

  A poultry farmer from Umudioka Village in Awka, Awka South LGA, Mrs. Victoria Anaje and a rice farmer from Urum in Awka North LGA, Mr. Emmanuel Udeozor were among beneficiaries that spoke on the largesse.

  While expressing their joy for receiving free agro inputs, they commended Gov. Soludo for prioritising farming and promised to put the scheme to judicious use in order to assist in providing food security and job creation in the state.