The Edo government on Friday flagged off the distribution of inputs to small-holder farmers in Edo Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2024 farming season.

Four hundred and seventy-one farmers across the five local government areas (LGAs) of Edo Central Senatorial District benefited from the input distribution.

The flag-off, which took place at Irrua, the administrative headquarters of Esan LGA, had farmers from Esan North-East, Esan South-East, Esan West, and Igueben LGAs in attendance.

Agricultural inputs and assets were distributed under the EDO FADAMA CARES Result Area 2 programme.

Inputs distributed included 9,900 bundles of cassava stem cuttings, 2,115kg of maize seeds, 1,506 litres of pre- and post-emergence herbicides, 801 bags of NPK fertilisers, 141 bags of urea, 25 multipurpose grinding machines, and two tricycle carts.

Governor Godwin Obaseki, while flagging off the exercise, said the state agricultural policies have impacted farmers in Edo.

Represented by the state commissioner for agriculture and food security, Stephen Idehenre, Mr Obaseki noted that the initiative was to support over 12,000 small-holder farmers across the state.

He noted that farmers have been empowered with inputs, essential farm kits, vaccines, and poultry feeds to weather the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In this programme, our target is to empower 4,179 farmers with farm inputs and services such as crop seeds, cassava cuttings, fertilisers, agrochemicals, fingerlings, and day-old chicks, among others.

“Another 3,441 farmers are to be empowered with irrigation facilities to enhance all-year-round farming and the rehabilitation of feeder roads for easy access to the farms.

“The programme is also targeting 4,875 farmers to benefit from cassava and rice milling machines, motorised sprayers, cold rooms, multipurpose grinding machines, defeathering machines, and tricycles,” Mr Obaseki said.

The governor added that the programme has built over 10 markets and provided water reticulation points, toilets, and boreholes in the markets.

According to him, the EDO FADAMA CARES programme has implemented over 75 per cent of its targets across the 18 local government areas.

“Today, as a follow-up, the state government is empowering 471 small-holder farmers in Edo Central senatorial district with all these inputs and assets you are seeing here.

“As a government, we will continue to ensure that we provide all the farm inputs needed to make the 2024 farming season a success,” he added.

In his welcome address, the state project coordinator, Edward Izevbigie, said the inputs and assets were hybrid varieties that would guarantee high yields for the farmers.

He disclosed that 160 bags of fertiliser, 1,981 bundles of cassava cuttings, 48 bags of urea, 300 litres of herbicides, and 400kg of maize seeds have been allocated to each of the five LGAs.

He also explained that 15 grinding machines and one tricycle were allocated to Igueben Local Government, Esan West was allocated 10 grinding machines, while Esan Central got one tricycle in addition to other inputs distributed.

In his remarks, the chairman of Esan Central local government, John Iyoha, who thanked the governor on behalf of the farmers, promised to set up a monitoring team to ensure that the inputs were well utilised.

(NAN)