By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has disbursed the FCT Fadama CARES Agriculture to 6,020 beneficiaries in the fourth batch of FCT Fadama CARES programme to ensure food security in the nation’s capital.
The Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud who officially flagged off the FCT Fadama CARES programme on Thursday in Gwagwalada, in Abuja said that the grant is to support vulnerable and poor households recover from the adverse effects of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Mahmoud disclosed that the fourth batch of 6,020 beneficiaries in addition to the 3,150 beneficiaries who had earlier received grants makes a total of 9,170 beneficiaries during the first year of the present FCT administration.
“This indicates an achievement of 216% when compared to the disbursement figure of 4,233 recorded by the programme in about 2 years prior to the coming of the administration.”
“The 6,020 successful beneficiaries were selected from eighty two Farmers Community Associations across the 6 Area Councils for disbursement of Grants under the fourth batch by the FCT Fadama CARES Program.”
This is in addition to the provision of water and sanitation facilities in 10 Wet markets located across the 6 Area Councils in the FCT, the Mahmoud disclosed.
According to the FCT Minister of State, the distribution of CARES event is a testament to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment towards ensuring sustainable food production, and affordability of food crops for vulnerable and poor households.
She said, ” This auspicious event is another significant indicator of the unflinching commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR towards ensuring sustainable food production through his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
“Thus facilitating availability and affordability of food crops – especially for poor and vulnerable households in Nigeria, thereby increasing income and improving livelihoods.”
The 6,020 beneficiaries cut across several Agricultural Value Chains got grants such as Crops, Livestock, Aquaculture production as well as small scale processing and value addition.
The FCT Fadama CARES program, is a FCT COVID 19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (FCT CARES) Program supported by World Bank Budget to the FCTA for Increase Food Security and Safe Functioning of Food Supply Chain programme in the FCT, is deliberately designed to support the recovery of livelihood activities of poor and vulnerable persons engaged in Agricultural Value Chains with special consideration to women and unemployed youth, the minister stated.
Meanwhile, the minister disclosed that the Fadama CARES programme in collaboration with the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat would empower youths in the territory by providing
Starter packs to 94 trainees of FCT – Leventis Foundation School of Agriculture, Yaba for years 2022 & 2023 to enable them practice what they studied in school.
The Mandate Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Hon. Lawan Kolo Geidam stated that the flag- off of the Fadama CARES grants programme is a significant milestone by the Federal Government and the FCTA towards supporting a sustainable food and nutritional security in the capital territory.
Geidam disclosed that within the period of one year, agricultural grants such 12,436 bags of NPK, 6218 bags of Urea, 18,654 litres of agro chemicals, 43,526 kg of assorted seeds, 55,400 Day Old Chicks & 7,756 bags of Poultry feeds and 81,800 Juveniles (cat fish) & 2,045 bags of fish feed have been disbursed under Disbursement Linked Indicator, (DLI) 2.1.
“Under DLI 2.3, 3690 Goats, 3212 sets of Farm Assets (Sprayers, Personal Protective Equipment, and Water Pumps & Accessories), 1006 Grinding Machines and 22 units of 2MT/hour multipurpose threshers were disbursed, while water and sanitation facilities have been provided in 10 Wet Markets across the 6 Area Councils.”
Furthermore , the FCT Minister of State for FCT, urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the grants to enhance their farming activities adding that this will facilitate their recovery form the negative impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic, improve their livelihood, and increase food security security and Food Supply Chain in the FCT.
