Leader of farmers’ group urges farmers to take advantage of GES



Mr Godwin Akandu, President, Etche Farmers Cooperative Union, on Tuesday urged farmers in Rivers to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) to ensure bumper harvests this year.
Akandu gave the advice while speaking in Port Harcourt.

He, however, advised farmers in the state to re-validate their bio-data in the farmers’ register compiled by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture so as to enable them to benefit from the Dry Season Farming Input Support Programme.
He said that Etche, Ikwerre, Khana, Gokana and Ahoada East Local Government Areas had been designated by the Federal Government as centres for the pilot scheme.
He said that the designated centres would handle the collection and distribution of 2017 dry season farming inputs like fertilisers and pesticides in the state.
“Farmers in the state have been advised to claim their farm inputs in some centres which include the redemption centre at Okehi for Etche Local Government Area (LGA) and Isiokpo redemption centre for Ikwerre LGA.
“Also, Gokana LGA has its redemption centre at Kpor; Khana LGA has its redemption centre at Bori and Ahoada East LGA has its redemption centre at Ahoada,’’ he said.
Akandu urged farmers in the state to take due advantage of the Federal Government’s agricultural programmes, particularly the GES.
NAN reports that under the GES, registered farmers are expected to pay about 50 per cent of the cost of inputs like fertilisers and agro-chemicals, while the Federal Government would pay the remaining 50 per cent.

The subsidy on farm inputs is an incentive given to farmers, as part of designed efforts to boost agricultural production in the country.  

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