As a way of reviving the dwindling means of livelihood of farmers in Ogun State occasioned by Covid-19, over 3,000 farmers have been empowered under Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme, domesticated as Ogun-CARES.
The empowerment is a progressive gesture executed in batches at Ijebu-Ode Local Government Secretariat for Ogun East, Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme premises Idi-Aba, for Ogun Central and Yewa-South Local Government Secretariat, Ilaro for Ogun West Senatorial District.
Farmers in each senatorial district were empowered with fertilisers, sprayers, water pumps, processing machines, herbicides, day-old chicks, feeds, pigs, goats, and personal protective equipment, among others.
Addressing the farmers in his keynote address, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Samuel Adeogun, said Governor Dapo Abiodun was poised at giving support to farmers to become the food basket of the nation and continued fulfilling his promises to farmers’ term.
He hoped beneficiaries would record success just as those empowered last year in the pilot phase have started turning in testimonies of good profit in their enterprises.
The project Manager of Ogun-CARES FADAMA, Mrs. Solape Awe said input and assets given to farmers were in fulfilment of promises made to beneficiaries based on their enterprises and need assessments.
Awe assured farmers of continued extension and advisory services through facilitators and extension officers, urging them to utilise the farmers’ record books and diverse training they had, to enable them to realise the best output in agricultural practices.
Thanking the state government on behalf of the benefitted farmers, Mrs. Paul Juliet, said judging by the volume of inputs and assets given to them, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s desire to make Ogun the food basket of the nation would soon be a reality as a positive turn around is being expected from the inputs.
She promised that they would make proper use of the items, calling on other farmers to embrace government’s empowerment programmes for their benefits
The events witnessed the presence of top government functionaries at both the state and local government levels, including the Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Finance, and Budget and Planning, Alhaji Muftau Towolawi and Mrs Olufunmilayo Dada respectively; their counterparts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Samuel Adeogun; representative of state CARES Co-ordination Unit, Mr Oladotun Durowoju; Director of Development Partners Co-ordination, Mrs. Funmilola Tade, with Chairmen of Local Government Councils and other stakeholders in agricultural business.
