About fifteen-million-naira worth of Rice production equipment and Creche furniture have been distributed to FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Program, VCDP, women and youth farmers under Additional Financing, VCDP-AF.
The event which took place at the Ministry of Agriculture in Awka attracted beneficiaries from across the participating council areas of the state.
The Rice Production equipment are Power Tillers, Rice Planters and Free Energy Pumps while the mattresses, standing Fan, Chairs, assorted toys, educational materials among numerous others are for the Creche.
Speaking during the official hand over to the beneficiaries, the commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Forster Ihejiofor, lauded Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his continued support for agriculture through building women and youth into agropreneurs.
Commissioner Ihejiofor, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Uzoka, noted that the handover of the rice production equipment to small holder farmers was aimed at improving their production, productivity and for cost reduction to ensure food security on a sustainable basis while the Creche furnitures are for the creches built alongside processing centers for welfare of nursing mothers.
While warning that any group found wanting or caught selling the equipments will be black-listed in the state VCDP including the council area, Commissioner Ihejiofor disclosed that a monitoring committee will be going round the clusters from time to time to check the utilization of the equipments.
He announced that Anambra State has through its agricultural policies, become a key stakeholder in the green oil revolution-an articulated strategy towards making agriculture a substitute for oil.
Speaking, the Acting State Programme Coordinator, SPC, FGN IFAD VCDP, Dr. Deborah Onyefulu, said that over one thousand three hundred farmers are presently been supported by the FGN IFAD VCDP in Rice and Cassava value chains of production, processing and marketing.
She noted that outside building the capacity of Anambra State farmers, which according to her has led to increased yield, value addition, sustainable increase in incomes and poverty reduction, VCDP is also addressing issues of Financial Inclusion, Environment and climate change, nutrition, gender and youth inclusion.
Some of the beneficiaries, including Mr. Emeka Agulu, a Rice farmer from Mmiata-Anam, and his counterpart from Orumba South, Mrs. Bridget Orji said that they greatly need the equipment in their farms to till the soil for their Rice to tilt more for increased yield.
One of the beneficiaries of the Creche furnitures from Orumba South, Mrs. Chinwe Okafor, applauded the FGN IFAD VCDP for nipping in the bud one of their greatest bottle necks at processing centers and assured judicious use of all the items.