The Delta Government has empowered 17,590 active farmers across the state with agricultural inputs under the D-CARES Programme to boost food production and economic growth.
The Commissioner for Economic Planning and Chairman of the D-CARES Steering Committee, Mr Sonny Ekedayen, disclosed this during the distribution of inputs to farmers at Obi Onyeonicha Community, Umukwata, Ukwuani Local Government Area.
Ekedayen said the intervention was being implemented under the FADAMA component of the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme.
He explained that the initiative was a joint effort of the Federal Government, the World Bank and the Delta Government to promote food security and improve the economic well-being of rural farmers.
According to him, 70 farmers in Obi Onyeonicha benefited from the latest intervention, comprising 30 cassava farmers and 40 poultry farmers.
“We are here to identify and support genuine farmers who deserve this assistance. This is in line with the ‘M.O.R.E Agenda’ of Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori.
“This is not a showcase. What you have received is yours. Use it for your own good, for the good of your family and for the good of Obi Onyeonicha”.
Ekedayen said the state government deliberately chose to distribute agricultural inputs instead of cash grants to ensure the sustainability and direct impact of the intervention.
He said each poultry farmer received 50 birds, feed and medication, while cassava farmers received improved cassava stems from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan.
The commissioner described the cassava stems as among the best varieties available in sub-Saharan Africa, adding that the intervention would improve productivity and livelihoods.
“We rise by lifting others. That is how communities evolve, break the poverty barrier and become sustainable and financially independent,” he said.
Ekedayen said Obi Onyeonicha was the seventh community covered in the current implementation cycle, with virtually all surrounding communities already reached.
He said the programme had supported 17,500 active farmers across the state before the addition of the 70 beneficiaries in Obi Onyeonicha.
He added that 17 more communities would benefit in the current round, bringing the projected number of beneficiaries to 19,190 active farmers.
The D-CARES Coordinator, Dr Patience Ogbewe, said the programme was designed to improve beneficiaries’ lives by strengthening their resilience and providing economic opportunities.
“Our interest is to make sure that life is better. It’s part of what God expects of His children that we lift up the hand of one another.
“When we talk about D-CARES, it is a subset of Nigeria-CARES. CARES means Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus.
“Resilience means no matter the situation we find ourselves in, we should be able to make the best out of what we have,” she said.
Ogbewe urged the beneficiaries to use the inputs judiciously, emphasising that the programme offered genuine opportunities for economic empowerment.
The State Project Coordinator and FADAMA Technical Head for D-CARES Result Area Two, Ms Therese Omame, congratulated the 70 beneficiaries and expressed confidence in their success.
A community leader and mechanised farmer, Chief Isaac Odika, thanked the Delta Government for extending the intervention to Obi Onyeonicha.
“I am a mechanised farmer and I understand the importance of this gesture,” Odika said.
He assured the state government that the inputs would be used wisely.
The beneficiaries also pledged to use the inputs effectively and “double the seeds in their hands”.
