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Delta State government and the Africa Union Development Agency (AUDA) have proposed a budget of N3 billion for the innovative strengthening of 3,380 smallholder farmers’ capabilities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was disclosed to journalists by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Godfrey Enita, at the training workshop for smallholder farmers at Songhai Farms, Amukpe community in Sapele Local Government Area of the state.
Enita, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Ben Agamah, said the state government would commit one-third of the proposed budget size for the intervention which will last for a 10 years.
“It is a 2:1 ratio. If AUDA brings two naira, the state government would bring one naira. So, for every one naira that the state government commits, AUDA-NEPAD will support with two naira.
“For our proposals, we have articulated 3,380 participants for this intervention on different commodities and the total budget is supposed to be N3 billion that would take groups/commodities such as cassava, rice, greenhouse vegetable cultivation and aquaculture.
“As a state, what we articulated to be able to support the 3,380 farmers is N3 billion. Therefore, the Africa Union (AU) is bringing two parts while the state government is bringing one part,” Enita said.
Worried by the likelihood of the beneficiaries underutilising their starter-packs, Enita said that there would be no provision for cash incentives to individual farmers, insisting that it was the clusters that would be developed.
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Addressing the participants, the National Coordinator of AUDA-NEPAD, Princess Gloria Akobundu, agreed that the intervention was targeted at building the capacity of smallholder farmers to increase their contributions to the nation’s food production.
Akobundu, represented by the Chief Administrative Officer of AUDA-NEPAD, Mrs. Timi Young-Itiye, said that the initiative was also geared towards the realisation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
She commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for demonstrating commitment to the success of the programme projected to build the capacity of smallholder farmers, create direct and indirect jobs, wealth creation and curb youth restiveness, among other objectives.
Meanwhile, a member of the state steering committee of AUDA-NEPAD, Mrs. Bridget Odobor, said that the intervention was timely to address the food shortage in the nation caused by insecurity by ensuring adequate food security measures.
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