COVID-19: Farmers donate palliatives worth millions to 6,000 poor

Farmers under the auspices of Favoured Farmers Community Empowerment Trust (FFACET) have donated food and farm inputs worth millions of naira to the less privileged to cushion the effect of coronavirus pandemic on them in Karu. Donating the items to the beneficiaries at Masaka, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, President of the group, […]

Farmers under the auspices of Favoured Farmers Community Empowerment Trust (FFACET) have donated food and farm inputs worth millions of naira to the less privileged to cushion the effect of coronavirus pandemic on them in Karu.

Donating the items to the beneficiaries at Masaka, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, President of the group, Ambassador Yakubu Tanimu, said the initiative was to assist the poor and vulnerable to survive the present   hard times caused by COVID-19 lockdown.

He explained that there was the need for corporate organisations and well to do individuals to support government in providing succour for those directly hit by the pandemic.

Tanimu, who put the value of the items at twenty seven million eight hundred, said distribution of the items was going to last for 14 days.

“We have flag off the distribution of palliatives to indigent people today in Masaka area of Nasarawa State. This exercise is meant to assist those who cannot afford the items on their own. 6,000 people have been identified and they will all benefit from the food items and farm inputs.

“This distribution is not based on politics, religion and ethnicity but we have carefully selected those that are truly in need” he said.

He stated that the federal government was doing its best to support Nigerians, but more is needed to be done in the area of agriculture.

Tanimu  urged federal and the state governments to contribute more to the development of agriculture and rural development across the country.

He said the government should ensure that there is adequate measures to manage post- COVID-19, by making  provision for subsidy in agriculture  to enhance optimal productivity and establish a unified framework for systemic delivery of extension services to farmers across the country.

The items donated include beans, corn, organic fertilizer for poor farmers, water pump for irrigation farming.