Daily Trust Sunday

Plateau farmers get 120,000 fertiliser­s to commence dry season farming

- From Yusufu Aminu Idegu, Jos

Dry season farming in Plateau State has been boosted with the flagging-off of distributi­on of 120,000 fertiliser­s to 40,000 farmers by the Plateau State government.

The state’s deputy governor, Josephine Piyo, while handing over the 120,000 fertiliser­s to state coordinato­rs of FADAMA, PADP and CARES for onward distributi­on, noted that the fertiliser­s was obtained as grant from Nigeria Government Covid-19 Action Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.

While handing over the fertiliser­s to the coordinato­rs, the deputy governor said, “With the handing over of 120,000 from the Nigeria Government Covid19

Action Economic Stimulus(NG-CARES) programme to our farmers, we have simply sent hunger out of the state.

“In addition to the fertilizer distributi­on, other program of NG+CARES in the state include the ongoing constructi­on of 25 access roads from farms to markets across the 17 local government areas of the state, renovation of educationa­l and health facilities, water projects, social transfers to the poorest of the poor, and grants to nano, micro, small and medium enterprise­s in the state.

“As we hand over these 120,000 bags of fertilizer­s, we recognize that the inputs represent more than just a physical resource. They symbolize hope, progress, and the future prosperity of our farmers and their families. The impact of this support will be farreachin­g, enhancing crop yields, improving soil fertility, and increasing the income of our hardworkin­g farmers.”

State coordinato­r of NG-CARES, Dr Haggai Gutap, who received the fertilizer­s on behalf of the farmers, said the grant is targeted at reducing the negative impact of Covid19 as regard food security. “I’m sure you know Covid19 brought so much hunger and poverty, it crumbled small and medium scale businesses.

“There is no doubt that the agric sector creates small and medium scale businesses, and so this program is focusing on farming. And so, the farming inputs we are distributi­ng to farmers will not only better the lives of the farmers but will also have multiplyin­g effect on the economy of the country,” he said.

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