Flood: FG, IFAD Distribute Farm Inputs To Rural Farmers In Enugu

The Federal Government in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP), has distributed farm inputs worth millions of naira to 94 rural farmers in Enugu State.
The free agro-inputs were distributed at the IFAD/VCDP office in Enugu to cushion the effect of the 2022 flood on farmers in Enugu State.
Some of the free items given to them were bags of rice seeds, Urea and NPK fertilisers, water pump and herbicides of selective and non-selective kinds.
Flagging off the event, the National Programme Coordinator, Fatima Aliyu, said IFAD was aware of the impact of the 2022 flood on farmers and decided to help them with some farm inputs to cushion the effect.
According to her, IFAD noted that most of the farmland were flooded and farmers lost what they planted, making their effort a waste.
“So IFAD in its magnanimity, saw the need to support you to plough back your farm activities,” she said.
Represented by the Adviser, Rural Institution, Gender and Youth Mainstreaming, IFAD-VCDP, Musa Dalang, Aliyu listed the inputs given to farmers as 376 NPK fertilizers, 188 bags of Urea, 94 litres of selective herbicide and 94 non-selective herbicides.
Others are 3.7 metric tonnes of rice seeds and 48 water pumps.
She said, “It is a grant, not inputs that you are expected to pay matching grant but completely free for those selected.
“They sent us a long list but only 94 among you were selected. So, consider it a great privilege and make good use of the inputs.”
Aliyu further said, “we expect that moment you take delivery of these inputs, go and do the needful.
“First you raise your nursery and prepare a farmland, after three weeks you start transplanting and within the next three months, you harvest your rice,” he advised IFAD-VCDP farmers.
She commended the Enugu State Government for supporting IFAD-VCDP farmers in the state by paying the counterpart funds.
In his appreciation, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi lauded farmers in the state, stating that they had reasons to be happy as IFAD was greatly touching their lives.
Ugwuanyi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mathew Idu, said the Enugu Government would continue to support farmers in the state.
“What the donor agencies are doing is to teach us how best to do it and it is our prayer when they exit, that we will continue to do what they taught us and do it even better than they taught us,” Ugwuanyi said.

He warned them never to sell the inputs given to them but to make judicious use of them to better their lives and the state in general.

In his part, the Programme Manager, Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme (ENADEP), Ogbonna Onyeisi, noted that flood had had devastating effect on farmers in the country and stressed the need for it to be addressed to ensure food security.