Over five thousand farmers have benefited from the free Fadama Tractor program in Niger State.
By: Our Correspondent
During the last farming season, over five thousand peasant farmers in the three Senatorial zones of Niger State benefited from the free tractor services provided by the Niger State Fadama Coordinating Office.
The State Fadama Project Coordinator, Alhaji Shehu Kudu Mohammed, disclosed this information during a courtesy visit from state officials of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at his office in Minna.
Alhaji Kudu Mohammed explained that the federal government, through the Fadama program, has implemented various initiatives to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable Nigerians, including those in Niger State.
He noted that the agency, under its Area Two program, with four components, has assisted farmers by providing inputs such as fertilizers, chemicals, and seeds at no cost. Additionally, the program has provided implements for poultry and fish farming activities.
Under the Fadama Delivery Leave Indicator (DLI), the agency has distributed various bags of rice, maize, and sorghum, along with fertilizer. Poor poultry farmers received 50 day-old chicks, feed, and drugs to help them start their businesses and become self-reliant.
The agency also assisted clusters of ten farmers each by providing solar-powered irrigation pumps and by constructing feeder roads, culverts, and mini-bridges to facilitate the transportation of farm produce.
Alhaji Kudu Mohammed assured that the agency would involve journalists in its programs and encouraged them to promote these activities for the benefit of rural farmers.
Earlier, the State Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Abu Nmodu, stated that the visit aimed to strengthen the longstanding relationship between the union and the agency, enabling more rural farmers to benefit from its commendable programs.
Comrade Nmodu emphasized the importance of including journalists in the agency’s activities, as many of them are also engaged in farming. He asserted that Fadama could achieve more in enhancing the living standards of rural people through effective collaboration with the union and assured that the NUJ is ready to support this effort.
The State Chairman of NUJ then commended the organization for its interventions, particularly in infrastructure development and the provision of free agricultural inputs to peasant farmers in the state.
