Governor Francis Nwifuru has disbursed 300 million Naira to 100 Ebonyi farmers who have completed their advanced farming training under Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru Empowerment Programme, FONEP on Agricultural Value Chains and Development for the past three months.
The beneficiaries were trained by Agbani Farm Masters Skills, Enugu State in freshry, poultry, piggery and other departments of modern agricultural practices.
Nwifuru on Wednesday while flagging off the disbursement of the fund at old Exco-Chambers, old Government House, Abakaliki, said each of the 100 beneficiaries of the agriculture empowerment programme would receive 3 million Naira.
The governor, represented by his Deputy, Princess Patricia Obila, congratulated the beneficiaries and commended them for their active participation during their training at Agbani farm. He, however, advised them to utilize the opportunity to expand their farms for the benefit of humanity.
"Your selection to be beneficiaries of this empowerment programme from the 13 local government areas in our state was not because you are best but by the grace of God.
"I advise you to make use of this opportunity very well, to advance your farms and for the benefit of humanity. Try to empower others, by having a master plan on how to use the money," he said.
Nwifuru announced that his administration had constituted a monitoring and evaluation team to ensure the beneficiaries of the empowerment programme utilize the fund for agricultural development, noting that a plan is in top gear to encourage them more if they perform creditably well in their farms.
Also, the State Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Mrs Ann Aligwe advised the beneficiaries not to divert the funds to any other business except for the development of their farms to become self-relevant, wealth creators and employers of labour in the state.
Aligwe recalled that the state governor has embarked on a series of empowerment programmes, citing the examples of 2 million Naira empowerment to hawkers to over 500 each, and one million Naira empowerment to over 1500 youths each, among others.
The commissioner said, apart from the first beneficiaries of the FONEP agriculture training, another 100 persons have been selected for the training at Agbani farm while another 200 persons would take off from Ebonyi for the same training at Nasarawa state soon.
The beneficiaries, through their Coordinator, Fabian Adagba, applauded Governor Nwifuru for empowering them and explained that they have been equipped with advanced agricultural skills, including production, processing, packaging and marketing of farm produce.
Adagba noted that apart from livestock farming, the beneficiaries were trained in crop farming, especially in rice, cassava and oil plant farming, and urged the state government to intensify efforts on monitoring to encourage them to put the best of the knowledge acquired in the field.
He recommended the state government establish a practical agricultural skills training centre and animal feed mill production centre and convert FONEP into a cooperative society to facilitate the expansion of the training exercise and include more beneficiaries in Ebonyi State.
