Nasarawa state government inaugurates N-CARES program to support farmers

Amina Mohammed, Lafia

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has inaugurated the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (N-CARES) program to support 450 farmers in the state.

Speaking at the inauguration in Doma Local Government Area (LGA), Nasarawa State, the governor said the program was an initiative of the Federal Government (FG) to cushion the negative effects of COVID-19.

The governor represented by his deputy, Emmanuel Akabe, said the initiative which was aimed at alleviating the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance the wellbeing of residents, was facilitated by World Bank.

He lauded FG and World Bank for the program and explained that it is capable of providing immediate relief to smallholder farmers and traders affected by COVID-19.

Governor Sule added that the program was a deliberate effort to cushion the effects of the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the global economy in the last two years.

“This virus has a devastating effect on the lives of indigent people especially the poor and other vulnerable in the society.

“It has subjected the vulnerable to extreme poverty and hunger hence the government enrolled several programs including N-CARES to alleviate their suffering to enable them to start again,” the governor said.

The governor also said that the state had keyed into the program because it was on the line with their plans to create wealth and empower the people as captured in Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS).

Sule also used to occasion and called on those yet to take their COVID-19 vaccine to do so.

He said the vaccines are safe and available for free in all the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.

Meanwhile, the N-CARES Coordinator in the state Dahiru Ibrahim, said 450 farmers in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) would benefit from the pilot program to boost their farming activities.

He listed the pilot LGAs to includes; Doma, Lafia, Obi, Keana, Karu, and Nasarawa, but promised that it would be extended to the remaining LGAs in the state.

“Of the 450 beneficiaries in the six LGAs, Doma has 140 and it was only sesame farmers that benefited from the gesture in Doma,” he said.

He added that each farmer out of the 140 from Doma was given five kg of a sesame seed, five litters of herbicide, and four bags of fertilizer, and the same quantity would be given to farmers in the remaining LGAs.