Kogi State governor, Ahmed Ododo, on Wednesday disbursed N370 million community revolving fund to farmers to boost food production in the North-Central.

The CRF loan disbursement is in partnership with the World Bank under the ACReSAL project.

A total of 208 farmers spread across 10 clusters in two catchment areas benefited from the CRF loan in the Pilot Phase I.

Each cluster got $25,000 (N37m), out of the $250,000 (N370m) shared.

The 208 beneficiaries, 70 per cent of whom are women, got N1.77m each.

Mr Ododo, who inaugurated the disbursement at the Government House, Lokoja, said the scheme was a proactive initiative aimed at addressing the challenges of climate change.

He added that it was also to support community agricultural efforts.

The governor disclosed that the second phase of the CRF loan disbursement would come up in August.

He appreciated the stakeholders involved in the project and emphasised his administration’s commitment to agricultural development.

According to him, within his five months in office, his administration had implemented various initiatives to enhance agricultural productivity.

The initiatives, he said, included the provision of agricultural machineries for mechanisation, agricultural inputs, training and capacity building for farmers, among others.

The governor urged the CRF beneficiaries to utilise the loan judiciously, stressing that it was designed to support their agricultural endeavours and improve their livelihoods.

Mr Ododo expressed confidence that the loan would boost agricultural practices in the catchment areas, leading to increased food production and security.

He said, “It is expected that the funds would be utilised for activities under climate smart agriculture and related agricultural value chain, just as you have been trained. I implore you to pay back the loans as and when due, to enable others to benefit from the fund because it is a revolving loan. I assure you all that our administration will continue to collaborate with global partners to provide resources and support that could cushion the attendant effect of climate change and tackle poverty. We are not oblivious of the fact that our farmers need security to farm effectively. To this end, we have mapped out our security plan to protect our farmers and their farmlands. Our administration has developed a template for farmlands security by employing local hunters and vigilante men and women to provide adequate security at all times. We have also activated our security rapid response capacity to distress calls from farmers and others. Adequate security gadgets and patrol vehicles have been provided across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

“We have strengthened the capacity of LGAs to ensure community policing. We won’t complain and run to Abuja, we are providing solutions here in Kogi. The local government chairmen, community leaders and security agencies are our critical partners in ensuring the success of this all important, poverty-defeating scheme. There are pointers to the fact that our efforts in the area of community policing are already yielding fruits.’’.

Earlier, the Speaker, Kogi House of Assembly, Umar Yusuf, emphasised the importance of partnership for progress as highlighted in the 17 thematic areas of the SDGs.

The speaker commended the governor for his leadership and commitment to the development of the state.

Also, State Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Ladi Jatto, commended the governor for his commitment to the success of the project in the state.

Mr Jatto stressed that the governor made it easy for the people of Kogi State to take advantage of the project.

In their remarks, finance and environment commissioners respectively, Messrs Asiwaju Idris and Olusegun Joseph, thanked the governor for paying due attention to the plight of the rural poor.

The Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, and the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Ahmed Tijani-Anaje, commended the governor for his efforts at supporting the agricultural sector.

They urged the beneficiaries to ensure timely repayment of the loan to ensure the sustainability of the project. 

(NAN)