By Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The World Bank Fadama III AF Project Task Team Leader, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe has said that farmers participating under the Fadama III Additional Financing earned about N303 billion from the cultivation of four advantage crops supported by the project.
Oredipe listed the projects to include rice, cassava, sorghum, and tomato.
The team leader stated this in Abuja during a special award ceremony organised by the National Fadama Coordination Office to recognise staff and stakeholders that contributed towards the successful implementation of the project in Nigeria.
In a statement made available to THISDAY weekend by the Bauchi State Communication Officer of the fadama III AF Project, Mohammed Danladi Abdul who also received the Best Communication Officers’ award at the ceremony, said that Oredipe explained that, the Fadama III AF had contributed to the agricultural transformation and development in Nigeria in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), food security, youth and women employment and rural development.
He specially cited the graduate youth unemployment scheme of the project were unemployed graduates that had undergone agric entrepreneurship training of the project will be supported with financial grant to set up small agric business in the area of the choices.
He stressed that, these achievements was recorded as a result of good leadership and commitments from all the stakeholders especially from the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh
Oredipe therefore called on the management of the National Fadama Coordination office to ensure that, the remaining indicators of the objectives of the project are achieved before the closure of the project in 2019.
In his speech at the occasion, the National Project Coordinator of the Fadama III Additional Financing Project, Mr. Adetayo Adewumi said the project had added to the nation’s food supply a total of 3.69 million metric tons of rice with 1,497,366 metric tons, cassava 841, 054, tomato 1,497, 366 while sorghum contributed 184,978 respectively.
He added that the North East food security and livelihood Emergency support project has positively rehabilitated the displaced persons as a result of the activities of the insurgency in the North East.
He indicated that data available showed that the nominal income of internally displaced persons has increased by 37 percent as a result of increased yield, good agronomic practices and capacity building.
The Coordinator said that 12,000 households had been targeted to benefit in 2018 in the North East adding that, 22, 551 internally displaced persons had benefitted from the scheme in the past, out of which 53 percent are women.
The National Coordinator said that the project had engaged many youth and women as Fadama Vanguard who was engaged in tree planting, soil conservation, sanitation works, change cleaning and other activities within the Six States of the North Easts.
He said the scheme is intended to provide immediate labour employment to the returnees and internally displaced persons who will certainly bridge the income gap between the time of return and such a time that returning farmers can obtain income from their usual livelihood.
Mr. Tayo further said that the Project has supported all beneficiaries with food Assistance like Rice, Sorghum, and Maize, Condiments, sheep, goats, poultry and fishing facilities.
Other Intervention include crops livelihood such as fertilizer, insecticides, Maize, Sorghum and rice seeds respectively.
The Coordinator stressed that, a total of 222.32 ICM roads have been constructed in Lagos, Anambra, Enugu, Kogi and Kano States with 26 irrigation canals.
He said the project had within the period of implementation carried out land cleaning for 760 hectares to support production, transportation and marketing of Rice, cassava, Sorghum and Tomato respectively.
