• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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1,269 farmers to benefit from FG’s fertilizers in Edo LGA

The African farmers’stories: Agricultural technology for greater productivity

No fewer than 1,269 farmers in Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State are to benefit from 7,887 bags of fertiliser for the 2020 farming season.

Peter Aguele, chairman of the local government area, made the disclosure in an interview with BusinessDay in Benin City, the state capital.

Aguele said rice, yam and cassava farmers in five wards of the council are to benefit from the fertiliser.

He said the fertilisers were part of the 50kg bags of fertiliser totalling 37,250 donated to Edo State by the authorities of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The council chairman, who commended the Federal Government, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, and NEMA, noted that the fertilisers would help boost food production not only in the locality but across the state.

“This came as succour to our people amid COVID-19 ravaging health, finances and food. This will help boost food production for our people and in my local government who are predominantly farmers,” Aguele said.

“By the template that has been put in place, in my local government area, about 1,269 farmers will be beneficiaries across five wards.

“The need for fertilisers to grow our food is very important and so the farmers are willing to apply the fertiliser in food production. The farmers are excited and the distribution will get to the farmers according to the template,” he said.

The director general of NEMA, Muhammadu Muhammed, had during the flag-off of the distribution of the fertilisers said the input was approved in 2019 by the Federal Government for farmers affected by flood.

Muhammed said the fertiliser distribution marks the final phase of Federal Government assistance to affected farmers to enable them recover from the losses suffered during the flood.

He appealed to the beneficiaries to make the best use of the fertilisers, noting that the frequent occurrence of flood has continued to threaten farming activities in Nigeria.