FCT farmers get farming assistance

Farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Friday, received various forms of farming assistance from the FCT Millennium Development Goals programme.

The task manager, Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) of the FCT millennium development goals MDGs, Sabati Nathan while distributing the items to the farmers during the flagging off of this year’s late season farming in the territory, advised them to always take advantage of every opportunity presented to them by government.

Nathan said government will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that citizens are engaged in various productive areas for the development of the nation.

Seedlings and other farming tools and implements were distributed to 35 groups of community farmers at the occasion.

The FCT YEP of the MDG also provided dry farming pumping machines which will be paid for in instalments by the farmers.

“We felt that after the rain farming, the long period of waiting, they should be busy if they don’t have anything they are doing instead of to be idle at home. So we felt that with the introduction of irrigation activities for those that have potentials for farming will help them a great deal to augment what they have done with the raining season farming,” she said.

“We know that during dry season, vegetables are scarce and they are very few but when they go into production, we will have enough to go round everybody."

Abdullahi Mohammed, an agricultural officer with the MDG also said that they would do everything possible to sustain the programme.

“We are committed to the farming activities, I don’t think there is anything difficult for us to maintain it because we are out to do it and will never relent. We are ready to visit all the communities and see what they doing, as an extension staff will be attached to them for guidance,” he said.

Some of the beneficiaries also commended the effort of the MDG and one of them Usman Wada, said: “We thank them because since the government has started doing something, no one has done something like MDG programme since we started.  We will make good use of it and improve our farming.”

We have been benefiting from them since two years now Usman, added. About 180 farmers group are currently benefiting from the YEP of the FCT MDG since 2010.