The tricycles presented by IFAD to farmers in Nasarawa State.
Cecilia Onah, Lafia
In a bid to ensure food security in the state, the Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, have donated twenty tricycles to 20 farmer groups in Nasarawa state.
The Programme which was organized by the Value Chain Development Programme, is aimed at assisting the beneficiaries to convey their farm produce to markets in their respective communities without having to pay for transportation.
The State Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD VCDP, Eunice Adgidzi, made the disclosure while speaking with Journalists during the distribution exercise in Lafia on Wednesday.
She added that the initiative was also targeted at reducing the pains and suffering of poor farmers across the five benefiting Local Government Areas who would have been heavily affected by the recent petroleum subsidy removal.
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It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu, during his inauguration speech on May 29, 2023 as Nigeria’s 16th President, declared an end to the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol.
She said, “I am delighted to be at the flag-off and distribution of Tricycles to twenty farmer groups drawn from farmers and youths organisations in Nasarawa State.
“For us in the Value Chain Development Programme, we see agriculture as business, that is why we always do everything within our powers to assist our farmers so that they can also contribute meaningfully to the growth of our dear state and Nigeria at large.
“Let me encourage our smallholder farmers in the five benefiting LGAs of Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Nasarawa and Karu, to use the tricycles to improve their livelihoods especially now that the petroleum subsidy has been removed.”
In his speech, the Permanent Secretary, Nasarawa State Ministry Of Agriculture and Water Resources, Isa Eya, who was represented by Sunday Akhun, commended the FG and IFAD for the initiative, and assured of the continuous support of the state government to ensure the success of the programme in the state.
One of the farmers who spoke on behalf of the others, Rahab Ayuba, thanked the FG and IFAD for empowering them with the tricycles and promised to put them into good use.
