Business News (Agriculture) — Ondo State Government on Thursday said that about 50,000 farmers' groups were now benefiting from the various interventions of the Fadama III Project in the state.
It said the development had led to an increase in the average income of the farmers from N125,000 in 2001 to N186,810 this year.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Ademola Olorunfemi, said this in Akure at a news briefing.
He said the survey conducted on the Fadama project showed 49 per cent increase in the income of the users' household.
Olorunfemi said, "The project has helped in the efforts to reduce rural poverty, increase food security and contribute to the achievement of key Millennium Development Goals in the state.
"The project has helped in rural development and empowerment of farmers in the state as over 5,000 farmers can now evacuate their farm produce to markets and towns with the construction of 60 kilometres Fadama access roads and culverts in 90 communities."
The commissioner also said the government had funded building of markets under the Fadama III Project and that 32 rural markets, consisting of both open and lock up shops, had been put in place for the socio-economic development of farmers under the project.
He said, "Over 2,500 Fadama farmers have access to water for productive activities in processing, livestock, cropping and fishery through the project's intervention in the construction of boreholes and deep wells in different locations of the state's Fadama communities.
"Also, 15 boreholes have been constructed and articulated for various farming activities, just as the project has sunk 94 deep well with overhead tanks for agro processors, livestock, fish farmers and domestic use of the Fadama communities."
Olorunfemi commended Governor Olusegun Mimiko for the prompt release of the counterpart fund for the project, which accounted for what had been achieved so far in the state.-Punch
