The Delta Government, through the D-CARES Programme, has empowered 17,590 active farmers across the state with agricultural inputs to boost food production and the state’s economy.
Mr Sonny Ekedayen, Commissioner for Economic Planning and Chairman of the D-CARES Steering Committee, disclosed this while distributing inputs to farmers at Obi Onyeonicha Community, Umukwata, Ukwuani Local Government Area of the state.
The commissioner said the intervention was being implemented under the FADAMA component of the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme.
He said the initiative was a joint effort of the Federal Government, the World Bank and the Delta Government to promote food security and economic empowerment among rural farmers.
According to Ekedayen, 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 deliberately opted for agricultural inputs rather than 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 said the cassava stems were 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 so far supported 17,520 active farmers across the state, including the 70 beneficiaries from Obi Onyeonicha.
The commissioner said 17 more communities would be covered in the current round, with the programme expected to reach 19,190 active farmers.
Dr Patience Ogbewe, D-CARES Coordinator, said the programme was designed to improve beneficiaries’ lives through resilience-building and 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 agricultural inputs judiciously, emphasising that the economic empowerment offered through the programme was real.
Ms Therese Omame, State Project Coordinator and FADAMA Technical Head, D-CARES Result Area Two, congratulated the 70 beneficiaries and expressed confidence in their success.
Chief Isaac Odika, a community leader and mechanised farmer, expressed gratitude to 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 promised to use the inputs effectively and “double the seeds in their hands.”
