Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has released fund to ensure seamless take-off of Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme, so as to mitigate hardship and promote food security in the State.
The Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Sunday Akintomide, made the disclosure on Wednesday at the opening session of a one-day training programme organized by Ondo State Fadama Cordination Office in Akure, the state capital.
The programme which was organized for Community Facilitators across the state was also aided by NG-CARES
In a statement by the Communication Officer, Fadama III, Funmilayo Ikueduranni, quoted Akintomide to have described the fund released by Akeredolu’s administration as timely and imperative, most especially as the nation is just recuperating from the devastating effects of the pandemic, adding the Governor’s assiduous efforts was to assuage poverty among residents of the State.
The statement explained that the Result Area 2 which was being handled by Fadama III Project, chiefly focused on food security and safe functioning of food supply chains.
“It has four Disbursement Link Indicators (DLIs), out of which three will be implemented for beneficiaries in the State.
“The three (3) DLIs are (i) agricultural input and services to farmers (ii) support to farmers on improved agricultural infrastructure (farm roads, Access road, bridges, culvert etc) and (iii) agricultural asset for production and processing which will mitigate against food lost and waste”, he said.
The Perm Sec assured that the Ministry will ensure speedy delivery and successful implementation of the Result Area to meet the intended targets.
On his own part, the State Project Coordinator of Fadama III in the State, Mr. Olusiji Olatunji, revealed that the 37 Community Facilitators have been trained on preparation of Community Action Recovery Plans (CARPs)
Shedding more light, Olatunji said CARPs served as instrument for disbursement of funds to farmers, stressing that any farmer whose name and enterprise were not captured will not be accessible to the support.
While applauding the State Government, the Coordinator said 180 CARPs have been produced representing 18,000 beneficiaries across the 18 Local Government Areas of the State.
He, however, said the Result Area 2 of the NG-CARES will be implemented and delivered on the programme objective