Fadama III Launch: Farmers Get N59m

Not less than N59 million was disbursed to Fadama Community Associations (FCAs), at the launch of the Fadama III National Development Programme on Friday in Jos.

Speaking on the occasion, Gov. Jonah Jang said the programme was conceived as a tool to alleviate poverty and achieve the Federal Government’s food security agenda.

Jang, who was represented by Agriculture and Natural Resources Commissinoer, NaAllah Mutbam, advised the benefiting FCAs to utilise the grants judiciously as specified in their local development plans.

He expressed optimism that diligent implementation of the programme would yield positive results.

He urged local government council chairmen to pay their counterpart funds to enable the participating councils to draw-down funds.

The governor advised farmers who were not participating in the programme to register and work closely with the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in order to boost their activities.

He said the government had taken steps to transform agriculture in the state through the establishment of Agricultural Services and Training Centres (ASTCs) in the three senatorial zones.

The governor used the forum to challenge youths to engage in farming as a viable option rather than searching for non-existent white-collar jobs.

Giving an overview of the Fadama III Project, the Zonal Project Coordinator, North Central, Mr Musa Dalang, said, the programme was a poverty alleviation project with the objective of increasing the income of farmers.

Dalang said, the programme was currently the largest in the country with 560 local governments and more than 7,400 FCAs participating.

Earlier in an address of welcome, the state Fadama III Coordinator, Mr Gideon Dandam, said that all the 17 councils of the state were involved in the programme.

Dandam appealed to the governor and council chairmen to continue to sustain their commitments under the programme.