By Tina George, Minna
Relief may have come the way of poor and vulnerable people in Niger state, as the state government is set to implement the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery Economic Stimulus, N-CARES.
The project, which will be coordinated by FADAMA office, is meant to reduce the impact of the pandemic and improve food security in the state.
Speaking to newsmen in Minna, the FADAMA coordinator, Dr Hassan Kontagora, disclosed that in the next few weeks, the beneficiaries will get the stimulus after they have been identified and selected.
He said that beneficiaries would include the poor within the agriculture value chain; physically challenged persons; poor and vulnerable persons with minimal size of farm enterprise and those who have been affected by other crises apart from the pandemic.
He said that the state government has budgeted N1.2 billion for the Nigeria CARES.
The Coordinator said that the N-CARES is funded by the federal government, World Bank and the state government, adding that the total amount to be spent has not been ascertained.
According to him, FADAMA is currently compiling the data of the poor and vulnerable in the 25 local government areas of the state who will be beneficiaries of the project.
“Those who will benefit should be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or other crisis and their means of livelihood destroyed or disrupted with no means of daily sustenance or feeding. Women and youths are highly targeted as they fall into the category of the poor and vulnerable in the society because of lack of or limited access to finance and other resources.”
Kontagora further said that N-CARES is meant to increase food security and address the safe functioning of the food supply chain to the masses.
“Areas of interventions will include distribution of improved seeds, fertilizers and inputs, distribution of livestock inputs, provision of extension services, provision of extension services, provision of mechanization services.
“Others are improvement of existing tertiary irrigation canals, rehabilitation and improvement of existing feeder roads, provision of farm agricultural assets, improve water and sanitation Infrastructure in wet markets and provision of equipment for small scale food processing and packaging.”
