Peter Mbah, the governor of Enugu State, has given fillip to food security and agro-industrialisation with the distribution of inputs and grants valued at N4.6bn to farmers and communities in the state. The grants were given to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), including IT startups.
At the flag-off of the distribution, the governor noted that it was imperative to nurture small scale entrepreneurs for sustainable growth through the provision of key enablers since they remained the lifeblood of economic development.
About 12,000 small-holder farmers were to receive one bag of fertiliser each, which the federal government had graciously donated to all states, according to the governor, adding that the state would be giving out 51 power tillers worth N2 million each to farmers from across farming clusters in the state.
“We are also flagging off today the distribution of agricultural inputs to 1,251 beneficiaries across the 17 local government areas. These inputs include rice and bean seedlings, cassava stems, organic fertilisers, herbicides, among others,” Mbah said
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He disclosed that the state government would be carrying out an extensive revamp of a number of rural roads to facilitate a better road network and ensure that the farming clusters springing up across the rural belt of the state did not exist as isolated units.
Mbah put the support to MSMEs at N1 billion with women-owned enterprises getting 80 percent of the entire sum.
“The value of our entrepreneurship intervention programme being flagged off today is N1 billion. This includes the disbursement of N60,000 to over 16,000 beneficiaries, comprising mostly owners of nano-enterprises on a ratio of 80:20 in favour of women.
“Some may indeed wonder why this wide discrepancy. We recognise that much of the brunt of poverty is borne by women. That explains the extra efforts we put into expanding opportunities for the girl-child and women, especially in our rural communities,” the governor explained.
He explained further that under the state’s MSMEs intervention, they were disbursing N400,000 to 187 beneficiaries, disclosing that other initiatives in this regard for flag-off included N7.5 million each to 10 tech startups, operational grant for solar equipment to 256 beneficiaries, while items, including laptop computers and POS terminals, will be given out to 269 beneficiaries.
The governor revealed that the state was also waging war against open defecation with a view to ending the menace by the end of 2024. “We are launching, as well, a water provision and sanitation-enhancing initiative worth N15 million across 135 communities. The total value translates to over N2 billion.
“This involves the construction of ultra-modern boreholes, toilet facilities, and provision of power generators. These would be sited in locations like town halls, markets, and schools,” Mbah said.
Earlier in his address, Patrick Ubru, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, enjoined the farmers and other beneficiaries to reciprocate government’s massive support through prudent application of the inputs and grants to create jobs, trigger revolution in the agricultural industry, and boost the state’s economy.
In the same vein, Romanus Eze, the chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Enugu State Chapter, assured the governor that the farmers and other beneficiaries would not disappoint the state government.
“We have never had it so good. Therefore, we will not disappoint you. We promise you concrete results for to whom much is given, much is also expected,” he assured.
