The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) has commenced training and empowerment of 250 beneficiaries of National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) in Bayelsa.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Temitope Fadeshemi, said this on Wednesday during the flag-off of the programme in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
Fadeshemi said that the training and empowerment programme was being carried out, in collaboration with Bayelsa Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
According to him, the programme is taking place across the 36 of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items donated to the 250 beneficiaries from all the eight local government areas of the state included: birds, feeds, plants and fetilisers, amongst other farm inputs.
Represented by the State Coordinator of the ministry, Laurita Obioha, Fadeshemi described the level of poverty in Nigeria as alarming.
“The number of men living on less than 1.90 U.S. dollars a day in Nigeria has reached around 44.7 million, while the count was at 43.7 million for women,” he said.
The permanent secretary further stated that 12.9 per cent of the global population in extreme poverty was found in Nigeria as of 2022.
“This is why the federal government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning is in collaboration with FMAFS, making conscious effort at reducing the spate of poverty across the country.
“It is with a great pleasure and pride that I stand before you as the permanent secretary of the FMAFS at this auspicious occasion of a crucial initiative under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).
“Today marks a significant milestone in our collective commitment to uplifting the lives of our smallholder farmers and fostering sustainable agricultural practices,” he said.
According to him, the programme is not merely an investment in agriculture, but an investment in the future of the nation.
“As we equip these farmers with the tools to enhance productivity, improve resilience and embrace sustainable practices, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient and prosperous agricultural sector,” he said.
Fadeshemi urged the beneficiaries to embrace the opportunity to build a future where smallholder farmers were not just beneficiaries of progress but active contributors to the nation’s growth.
On his part, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr David Alagoa, commended the ministry for the training and the items donated to Bayelsa farmers to lift them out of poverty.
Alagoa, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Souya Ebiye, urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously, saying: “in time to come, you will smile home and rejoice.”
He reiterated the state government’s determination to do all it takes to lift the people out of poverty through agricultural empowerment programme.
In his lecture, Prof. Prince Ebiowei, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, urged the beneficiaries to always keep records of their stocks to know when they were running either at a loss or gain.
According him, any business that starts small will definitely grow to become bigger as time goes on, adding that most people who started big most times experience bankruptcy in business later in lifenan.
