Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Over 500 women and youths have been empowered with agricultural working capital by the Federal Government Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises, Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project in Edo to enable them start their agribusiness and be self-sufficient
LIFE-ND is being funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the Federal government and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The working capital mainly inputs, included 25 generators, 25 deep freezers, 16 de-feathering machines, six mini haulage tricycles, motorised sprayers and 550 litres of insecticides.
Others are 864 litres of herbicides and 378 bags of fertilizers, 7,500 day-old-chicks, assorted poultry feeds, catfish fingerlings and juveniles, assorted fish feeds, cassava stems and 50 mobile cassava Processing machines.
Also distributed are fish smoking kilns, nine wheel barrows and improved rice seed variety.
Flagging off the distribution, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Stephen Idehenre, said agricultural inputs serve as the lifeline for productivity and food security.
Idehenre said the state government’s commitment to empowering communities through economic growth was unwavering.
“These are not mere tools, they are instruments of change, catalysts for economic empowerment that will resonate through the fabric of our rural communities.
“We are making an investment in the very heart of our communities, the rural people.
‘’IFAD’s motto becomes our guiding principle, reminding us that true development begins by empowering those who toil the land and nurture its pot,” he said.
Also speaking, the Edo State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Samuel Owoicho, said the inputs distribution was part of President Bola Tinubu commitment to alleviate poverty and promote food security in the country.
“It will help them project agriculture in their various communities and help alleviate poverty among the youths and women,” he said.
According to him, the Federal Government is ensuring job creation that will not only generate income for the youths but will resonate through the communities.
The State Project Coordinator of LIFE-ND Project, John Omoruyi, said the 500 women and youths were selected from 100 communities in Edo, explaining that it is the fourth batch of young farmers that have been trained on modern agricultural best practices and empowered to guarantee optimal utilisation of the inputs.
He said the LIFE-ND project was passionate about rendering support for youths, women and physically challenged, adding that providing modern farm input is a fulfilment of the project’s mandate, even as he pointed out that farm inputs are catalyst for increased agricultural yield.
Omoruyi disclosed the selected commodities for Edo are fishery, cassava, rice and poultry, saying the project had recorded major milestone since its inception.