No fewer than 4,515 rice and cassava farmers in
Anambra State are to receive farm inputs worth
N728 million under the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD)-assisted Value
Chain Development Programme (VCDP).

Anmabra State Commissioner for Agriculture,
Mechanisation, Processing and Export, Mr. Afam
Mbanefo, disclosed this while declaring open the
exercise in Awka. He said the inputs disbursement
exercise was for the 2017 wet season farming in
five VCDP participating local government areas of
the state, further assuring that government was
determined to make agriculture a business and a
major source of income for farmers.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the
ministry, Mr. Leo Imoka, Mbanefo disclosed that
government was investing over N100m on the
inputs, including seeds, to boost yam farming for
export, and assured that the resources would be
distributed to farmers soon.

He challenged the beneficiaries to reciprocate
government’s effort in boosting agriculture by
utilising the inputs judiciously.
The state Programme Coordinator (SPC), Value
Chain Development Programme (VCDP), Mr.
Emmanuel Aguncha, in his remarks, disclosed that
the inputs distribution targeted 296 farmer
organisations on 8,999 hectares of farmland.
He explained that the counterpart payment by IFAD
was N364m while the farmers paid a matching
grant of N364m..

Aguncha said each rice farmer would receive 50kg
of rice seeds, four bags of NPK, two bags of Urea
fertiliser and four litres of herbicide per hectare.
He added that each cassava farmer would get four
bags of NPK, 50 bundles of cassava stems, three
litres of herbicide and two grants of artrazine per
hectare.

“The benefitting farmers were selected from Awka
North, Anambra East, Anambra West, Orumba North
and Ayamelum local government areas.
“Our emphasis is more on youths and women. We
are also going to provide on-the-spot training for
them on how to use the inputs.
“The programme carried out a workshop on
integrity compliance and business ethics to make
the farmers honest and to ensure that inputs were
judiciously utilised

“We are also using the e-wallet and involving the
supply chain managers; the International
FertiliserDevelopment Centre (IFDC) and Cellulant;
two development agencies managing the
distribution of the inputs for this year,” he stressed.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Adaeze Ukwuego,
while commending the state government and VCDP
for the early distribution of the inputs, assured that
the items would be utilised effectively.

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https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/agriculture/4-515-farmers-to-get-n728m-worth-inputs-in-anambra/204320.html

I should have posted this on politics section.