Kebbi State Government under KB- CARES Fadama Result Area 2 Program a world Bank assisted scheme has begun free distribution of agricultural inputs to 7,900 farmers in the State.
The agricultural inputs worth 2.4bn will be distributed to farmers across the state with the first batch of beneficiaries who received their allocation this Monday .
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources , Alhaji Maigari Abdullahi Dakingari, stated this at the flag- off ceremony for the disbursement of inputs to beneficiaries of the programme at KARDA near Kalgo .
According to the Commissioner ,” This is NG- CARES programme and is two- year covid-19 stimulus package. The distribution of inputs to 7,900 small -holder farmers is aimed at supporting them with improved varieties of seeds, pesticides and fertiliser in order to ameliorate the effect of the covid-19.
“We are sure that the move will raise the living standard of farmers for them to go back to farming activities.”
Dakingari explained that the programme encompassed the construction of feeder roads for free flow of goods and services to major towns from the rural areas.
“We are doing all these free to farmers as morale booster for them to have sense of relief and energy to go back to farming activities sequel to the Covid-19 enforced farming challenges,” he said.
The commissioner appreciated governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu for his untiring efforts and commitment to agricultural development in the state.
The Kebbi State Governor ,represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Abba Sani Kalgo announced that, in addition to the US$20 million from the World Bank, Kebbi State Government has added the sum of Three Billion (N3,000,000,000.00) naira to the programme in order to ensure wider coverage of the programme activities in the State.
” Result Area 2, Increasing Food Security and Safe Functioning of Food Supply Chain will be implemented by the State Fadama Coordination Office known as Fadama III Project .
‘ Today’s event as you have seen is the distribution of inputs and chemicals to the farmers across the state. The result area 2.2 is for the rehabilitation of the structures across the 21 local government areas with 5.1 kilometers roads to farms will be implemented by the Fadama ‘, he averred.
He also said that the Kebbi State Government would commence rehabilitation of 78 modern markets and construction of 5.1 kilometers of roads to farm settlements as part of measures to ease impact of COVID 19 on food supply chains across the state, he said .
Governor Bagudu at the end urged the beneficiaries to judiciously make use of what they got under the program for fruitful farming season
It will be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria has received support from the World Bank towards the course of Nigeria-COVID-19 Action Recovery and Eonomics Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme for Result financing amounting to US$750 million, all the 36 States of the Federation will benefit with US$20 million each including Kebbi State while FCT will have US$15 million.
The Programme Development Objective of NG-CARES is to expand access to livelihood support and food security services, grant for poor and vulnerable households .
Highlights of the occasion was the free distribution of agriculture inputs to farmers comprising of fertiliser, improved seeds , herbicides and pesticides.
