The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has pledged to enhance the agricultural output of Ebonyi farmers through its Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise (LIFE) programme.
Mrs Chinyere Ikechukwu-Eneh, an Assistant Director in the ministry, made the pledge in Abakaliki on Monday when she visited the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Moses Nome.
Ikechukwu-Eneh said the progarmme, implemented in four states in each of the six geo-political zones, was an initiative of Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture.
“The programme will be implemented in the three senatorial zones in Ebonyi with active participation of five registered clusters (cooperative societies) from two local government areas of the zones.
“Twenty members from the cooperative societies will be identified and registered in two communities of the local government areas in this pilot phase of the programme.
“We will ensure that more communities from the local government areas benefit in subsequent stages as the programme intends to empower three million Nigerian women and youths,” she said.
She noted that the programme was aimed at promoting community-based on and off farm business activities, designed as models for job and wealth creation among women and youths in rural and sub-urban households.
“The cluster members will be identified, trained and supported to improve their access to finance, affordable and improved agricultural inputs, sustainable farm practices and agro-processing and packaging.
“A robust marketing system will also be put in place to link food surpluses to urban cities while ensuring a stable, market-driven price regime,” she said.
The assistant director noted that the programme was in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Bank of Industries (BoI) among other partners.
“The programme’s registration process is free with no age limit for women but the men must be between 15 and 45 years,” she said.
Miss Keke Bongos-Ikwe, Director of the LIFE programme, noted that local dialects would be used in enlightening the cluster members on its activities to enable them to fully comprehend its messages.
“This mission is an essential activity of the LIFE programme designed to enlighten project communities and collect field data from prospective states,” she said.
Chief Moses Nome, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, thanked the government for choosing Ebonyi as one of the pilot states in the South-East zone.
“We are happy because the programmes’ objective is in tandem with the state government’s desire to shift agriculture from a subsistent to commercial venture through efficient mechanisation processes.
“We are also gratified because the programme would be implemented in Ebonyi, Ohaukwu, Ezza North, Ezza South, and Afikpo North where the IFAD intervention is not covering,” he said. (NAN)
