Taraba Government says it has registered 4,550
farmers and 2,689 households as beneficiaries
of Fadama lll Additional Financing (AF) l and ll
project in the state.
The State Project Coordinator, Mrs Regina
Festus, made the disclosure at a news
conference on Friday in Jalingo.
Festus said the 4,550 rice farmers registered
under AF l, constituted 350 Production Groups
and 50 Production Clusters.
“The essence of AF l is to boost rice farming to
attain food security, and make farming a
business rather than a part time job.
“Rice farmers can access our support by
forming groups of 10 or 15 farmers, who will
form a cluster of minimum of two and
maximum of 20 production groups.
“They will then register with cooperatives and
open group bank account for grants.
“There are some supports that come through
the group account and others come through the
accounts of accredited service providers.
“The benefiting groups are expected to
contribute 50 per cent of the cost of the farm
inputs they request for, while the project will
pay the remaining 50 per cent of the cost.
“Similarly, the beneficiaries’ contributions for
the purchase of farm equipment like sprayers
and thrashers stand at 20 per cent. The project
will pay the cost of the remaining 80 per cent,”
she said.
The coordinator said that Fadama lll AF l had
targeted 2,680 households as beneficiaries,
who were selected from 67 communities across
the state.
She said that insurgency victims who were
either internally displaced or based in their
communities, constituted the households.
“We identified 40 households within a
community based on how adversely affected
they were by the insurgency.
“They were provided with inputs of their
preferences not only in farming but also other
agricultural enterprises like poultry, fishery,
among others.
“To cushion the effect of hardship before they
begin to enjoy their production, each household
was given a 50kg bag of rice, maize and
beans. A gallon of groundnut oil, palm oil and
four sachets of seasoning,” Festus said.
The coordinator said the registration of
production groups was ongoing even as priority
was given to unemployed graduates, youths
and women.
She said that previous Fadama lll had recorded
success in developing farming infrastructure;
farmers processing capabilities and carrying
along both pastoralists and crop producers.
The coordinator said that the state was among
the few that benefited from the current Fadama
lll AF which was aimed at consolidating the
gains of Fadama lll and ll.
She commended the State, Federal Government
and the World Bank for supporting the project,
urging its beneficiaries to reciprocate the
support by increasing their production and
income levels.
NAN