VSF distributes farm inputs to 1,000 farmers in Borno
VSF distributes farm inputs to 1,000 farmers in Borno
The Victims Support Fund (VSF), says it has distributed fertilisers and inputs to 1,000 smallholder farmers affected by the insurgency in Borno State.
Prof. Nana Tanko, Executive Director of the Fund, stated this on Friday at the inauguration of the inputs distribution exercise Kwaya-kusar headquarters of Kwaya-Kusar Local Government Area of the state.
Tanko said the gesture was aimed at supporting smallholder farmers in conflict affected communities in the North East and other parts of the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items distributed included 350grm of NPK and 250grm Urea brand of solution liquid fertilisers as well as Knapsack sprayers.
Tanko said the gesture would assist the beneficiaries to reestablish their agriculture activities and enhance food production capacity to higher yields at harvest.
According to her, the Fund is targeting 3,000 farmers in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Niger States under its agriculture support programme.
Tanko said the Fund implemented series of intervention to support victims of insurgency and rehabilitation of destroyed infrastructure in the past six years.
Other key areas of intervention included the livelihood support and women economic empowerment, provisions of hospital equipment, educational and psychosocial support services to the affected children as well as peace building programmes.
In his remarks, Gov. Babagana Zulum, commended the gesture, adding that it had brought succour to the farmers affected by the insurgency.
Zulum, represented by Bukar Talba, Commissioner for Agriculture, said the gesture would complement the government efforts towards reinvigorating the agricultural sector.
He said the state government had initiated viable programmes to support displaced farmers and encourage food production to achieve self sufficiency.
Also speaking, Mr Samson Dibal, Chairman, Kwaya Kusar Local Government Council, said the people of the area were mostly farmers and known to be the largest food producers in the state.
He, however, identified lack of access to inputs as one of the major challenges militating againt effective utilisation of the abundant land resources for farming activities in the area. (NAN)
