Over five thousand farmers in Jigawa state have so far benefitted from various interventions under the Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economy Stimulus, NG CARES program, which is being supported by the World Bank, Federal and State governments.
The State Coordinator of the FADAMA CARES Component of the program, Alhaji Aminu Isah Ringim disclosed this shortly after disbursement of farming inputs in Dutse, the state capital.
He explained that the program has provided assistance to poor and vulnerable farmers in the state.
Alhaji Aminu Isah Ringim said, each maize farmer was given 10kg of maize seedlings, 2 bags of NPK and 1 bag of Urea Fertilizer as well as herbicides and pesticides.
He further explained that, each sorghum, rice and millet farmers were given 10kg bag of seeds, two bags of NPK and bag of urea.
He said two hundred poultry rearers were given chicks with starter packs per beneficiaries and 200 fisheries fingerings was also given to100 beneficiaries.
He pointed out that, the farmers were also exposed to intensive capacity building while extension agents were dispatched to their various farms to guide them.
Aminu Isah Ringim noted that women and physically challenged persons constitute forty percent of the beneficiaries in all the interventions under the Area II component of the NG CARES program which is being coordinated by the FADAMA office.
He noted that the program which targets a total of eighteen thousand farmers will run for a period of two years divided into four cycles of six months each.
While in Birnin Kudu, Gwaram and Ringim local government areas, he said over two hundred sorghum farmers in the areas benefitted from the assistance.
He said they were clustered in groups of ten where each farmer received two bags of NPK, one bag of urea fertilizer and herbicides which were given to them free.
The Fadama Boss said the program will select more fish farmers from vulnerable community across the state to benefit from subsequent cycles of the program.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to Radio Nigeria commended the World Bank, Federal and Jigawa state government as well as Fadama office for the gesture.
They also promised to utilize the farming inputs given to them.
Usman Mohammed Zaria
