15 Million Farmers To Benefit From FG’s GES Scheme

Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina
Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina

15 million farmers are being targeted to benefit from the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme of the federal government this year, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has disclosed.

Explaining the ministry’s road map for the New Year, Adesina also said 400,000 farmers  as against 240,000 in 2013, would be empowered to engage in the dry season rice production.

The minister, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Olukayode Oyeleye, disclosed that about 700,000 farmers had indicated interest in the dry season rice farming, but said provision was made for only 400,000.

He however stated that government might consider more farmers during the season.

Asked about the farmers’ challenges in redeeming inputs provided under the GES scheme, Adesina said the problem had been long surmounted.

“An off-line system through the use of paper voucher has been adopted to tackle the problem of poor GSM network, which had affected redemption of inputs by farmers in the past,” he said.

He noted that the scheme was designed to accommodate additional five million beneficiaries every year.

Adesina also said the initial reluctance of commercial banks to finance the GES had been addressed, as he said 14 commercial banks were involved towards the end of 2013.

The minister added that large scale millers, after series of meeting with the ministry, had been milling paddy rice produced by farmers at the end of the dry season farming period.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Good news! if the local farmers can continously be empowered directly, food produce will soon be abundance of affordable food items in our markets as we had in the early 70s. Pls consider a publicised scheme for job seeking graduates who would want to make a living from modern mechanised farming.

  2. Good news! if the local farmers can continously be empowered directly, food produce will soon be in abundance, and affordable food items will once again flood our markets as we had in the early 70s. Pls consider a publicised scheme for job seeking graduates who would want to make a living from modern mechanised farming.

  3. pls any center that cannot give this out should not be included in this GES programme, example is that Center at the back of Millipath Filling Station, Lugbe Road, I went to that place on two consecutive times but at the end they told me that the programme is over that they can’t give out again and i believe the same thing happened to many people whom GES assign to that particular place. Pls if there is anything i can do to collect mine pls i don’t mind because am yet to collect and i have my code no. with me pls. Do not take the report of those people serious because they shared the whole thing to theirsleves. thank you as i wait for ur response.