The National Emergency Management Agency has commenced the distribution of agro-chemicals, seedlings and other farming inputs to farmers in Kogi.
The Director-General of the agency, Mr Mustapha Maihaja, told newsmen in Lokoja on Thursday that no fewer than 16,059 farmers would benefit from the scheme.
He said that the distribution was being carried out under the Federal Government’s Emergency Agricultural Intervention Fund (EAIF) programme.
Speaking through Mr Oluwatope Ajayi, the agency’s Team Lead for EAIF in Kogi, Maihaja said that the items were given free of charge to farmers.
He said the beneficiaries were farmers who lost their farmlands in flood disasters that ravaged nine local government areas in the state last year.
“Apart from agro-chemicals, each of the farmers will receive maize, rice, yam, cowpea, cassava, vegetables, red pepper and groundnut seedlings under the scheme.”
Maihaja said that the assistance was to assist the farmers to start afresh, noting that the gesture would prevent food shortages.
“NEMA is embarking on the intervention in line with the directive of the National Food Security Council.
“The farmers were selected from nine local governments of Bassa, Ibaji, Lokoja, Idah, Kogi, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Igalamela and Omala,” he stated.
Maihaja said that the farmers were identified and verified to be the authentic victims of the flood disasters.
(NAN)
