NIGERIA. Niger State: In Niger state, more than 1,700 disabled people have received assistance in the form of agricultural inputs and other agriculturally related equipment to help them expand their farming operations.
25 local governments in the state benefited from the distribution, which was carried out under Nigeria’s COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (N-CARES).
The executive governor of Niger state, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, opened the distribution by declaring it open in New Busa, the centre of the Borgu local government area.
He said the gesture aimed to support the livelihoods of those who were most in need throughout the state and to hasten the recovery of economic activity in the states that would benefit from it.
To lay a strong foundation for agriculture value chains to generate employment and create jobs, agricultural livelihoods and food security support under the N-CARES are structured to include investments and policy measures to mitigate impacts on agricultural livelihoods, improve our farmers’ resilience to return to their farms, and facilitate faster recovery.
“The overall target of this initiative is to increase food security and sustain safe functioning of food supply chains,” Bello said.
Out of the 1,700 recipients, 747 will get agricultural inputs for the rice, maize, sorghum, broiler, and aquaculture value chains, while 753 will get agricultural assets and small primary processing equipment.
While each beneficiary of the crop enterprise is to be supported with two bags of 50kg NPK and one bag of urea fertilizer, respectively.
This is besides two liters of herbicide, a liter of pesticide, and five to ten kilometers of rice, maize and sorghum seeds, depending on the farmer’s enterprise.
While beneficiaries under broiler and aquaculture are to benefit 50-day-old chicks and 200 fish juveniles, along with feeds and drugs.
“Overall, a total of 93.75 metric tons of NPK and Urea fertilizers, 5.58 metric tonnes of rice, maize, and sorghum seed; 1,250 and 314 liters of herbicide and insecticide Bello, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed Gunu,” said.
Meanwhile, Bello further stated that an overall total of 93.75 metric tons of NPK and Urea fertilizers, 5.58 metric tonnes of rice, maize, and sorghum seed; 1,250 and 314 liters of herbicide and insecticide, respectively, are to be distributed.
Likewise, beneficiaries will get 505 goats, 20 individual assets, and 67 group assets as part of the distribution of agricultural assets and small primary processing.
Bello, however, advised the beneficiaries to use the items judiciously, as they will be monitored at the community level by facilitators and desk officers, the state Fadama.
Also Read: ‘Nigeria Custom’ Wins 2022 Mark D’Ball Basketball Tournament
