The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says it will disburse a $4.5 million World Bank grant to 12,283 farmers and upgrade 17 Wet Market under its Fadama programme.

The amount is from the $15 million allocated to the FCTA under the World Bank-supported COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (FCT CARES) programme.

FCT minister of state, Mariya Mahmoud, disclosed this in Gwagwalada on Thursday during the disbursement of the grant to a third batch of 3,707 beneficiaries.

Ms Mahmoud said 4,233 beneficiaries had accessed the grant under the first and second batches, bringing the total to 7,940. She said the grant would be used for the 2023-2024 dry season farming and other income-generating activities.

Some items distributed at the event included fertilizers, improved seeds and agrochemicals, sprayers and personal protective equipment for crop farmers. Also distributed were day-old chicks and feeds for poultry farmers, feeds for fish farmers, goats for livestock farmers and grinding machines for women processors.

The minister described the grant disbursement as a “significant milestone” towards achieving President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

Ms Mahmoud explained, “The agricultural sector has been chosen as one of the critical intervention areas under the renewed hope agenda to facilitate the attainment of food and nutritional security. It will also facilitate the provision of raw materials to our local industries, generation of gainful employment for our teeming unemployed youths, as well as contributing significantly towards increasing the inflow of foreign exchange through export.

“The Fadama programme was deliberately designed to support the recovery of livelihood activities of poor and vulnerable households engaged in agricultural value chains in the FCT, with special consideration to women and unemployed youths.”

She added, “Its implementation is being anchored on the World Bank Community Driven Development approach for deployment of programme investments at the community level.”

(NAN)