FG launches new technology for farmers’ registration

The Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) Touch and Pay (TAP)-GES TAP, was launched during a sensitisation workshop for farmers, agro dealers, commodity associations and the media in Gwagwalada, Abuja.The GES TAP is an offline technology that captures the data of farmers along with their photographs and at the end of the registration exercise, a green card […]

The Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) Touch and Pay (TAP)-GES TAP, was launched during a sensitisation workshop for farmers, agro dealers, commodity associations and the media in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The GES TAP is an offline technology that captures the data of farmers along with their photographs and at the end of the registration exercise, a green card will be issued to the registered farmers, which will be used in redeeming subsidised inputs.
Speaking at the workshop, FCT Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Charles Momoh, said the new GES TAP has necessitated the re-registration of all farmers in the FCT.
“The government has mandated the IFDC, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, to mobilise and register 200,000 farmers in the FCT in the current farming season under the new arrangement,” Momoh said.
He said a total of 250 unemployed youths and 25 team supervisors have been recruited by the IFDC to serve as enumerators and supervisor to register farmers in all the 62 political wards of the FCT.
The registration, which begins Monday, required farmers to go to the registration centre with any means of identification such as the driver’s license, national identity card and voter’s card or international passport.
Farmers without any of these identifications could have any registered member of the community to identify them for registration after which a black card will be issued to them as temporary registeration card valid until the end of the year.
The new technology is a pilot programme for FCT and Sokoto State farmers.