The Federal Executive Council, FEC, has approved the sum of N1.4 billion for the acquisition of agricultural equipment and supplies for the National Plan for Young Farmers.
Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, revealed this while briefing House of Representatives correspondents after the FEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said four contracts have been awarded for the scheme and expressed optimism that the projects will encourage young people to take up farming.
“The other memorandum on behalf of the president seeks the approval of the award of the contract for the supply of various inputs and agricultural equipment for the National Plan for Young Farmers.
“We have the National Plan for Farmers under the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA); here, four contracts were awarded for a total amount of 1.4 billion naira with various completion periods.”
According to him, the first is the supply of agricultural inputs such as seeds, cotton, planting materials, agrochemicals, fertilizers and growth enhancers for 3,000 hectares in Abia, Adamawa, Borno, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi States. , Niger, Osun, Yobe and Enugu.
He said that the first contract was for N313 million for a period of two weeks.
He said the second was the supply of tractors, plows, hoists, disc arrows, hydraulic dump trailers, logistics and deliveries to selected states such as Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Osun and Jigawa.
“The third is the purchase of land preparation equipment; this involves 11 massive Ferguson tractors, 11 disc ploughs, 11 three-disc ploughs, 11 four-disc ploughs, 11 twenty-disc shafts and 11 hydraulic tipping trailers for Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Osun, Jigawa and Gombe states.
“While logistics and deliveries to selected states like Abia, Ogun, Ekiti, Katsina and Ebonyi will gobble up another 2.5 million N.
“The latest contract under this document is professional and technical improvement for the Enugu, Ekiti, Abia, Imo, Adamawa, Cross River, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Borno and Rivers National Young Farmers Scheme, in the amount of N213million for a completion period of one week, for a total of N1. 4000000000.
“The importance of these contracts is that the Federal Government is reiterating once again the emphasis that it put on agriculture and how we want agriculture to be not only for large landowners or large farmers, but to encourage even our young people to dedicate themselves to farming. farming”. ‘
He said the president’s recently inaugurated rice pyramids and the Anchor Borrower Program relied heavily on small farmers rather than big business, as the program had benefited no fewer than three million small farmers.
He said the nation’s food security depends on increasing local food production.
“ The Federal Government is not only promoting or investing in rice; it is promoting another 23 crops.
“This is another example of how we are trying to encourage young people to own land; We give them land and prepare the land for them.
“We also give them equipment and fertilizers and other agricultural inputs to make sure we have food security,” he said.
For his part, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, said that the FEC approved the contract for the cleaning of equipment for the deep blue project that would facilitate the installation of some of the projects in the coastal cities for the sum of N2.8 thousand millions.
“Another that was approved is the Oracle E Business Suite license for the sum of N955.5 million. That’s for NPA.
“The first, the deep blue project is for NIMASA.”
The minister said that another approval was for N214 million as a variation of the initial contract of N3.5 billion for the purchase of a 450-tonne capacity railway crane for emergency recovery in standard gauge.
“Finally, contract for the reconstruction of the narrow gauge track from Minna to Barrow,” he said.
Furthermore, FCT Minister Mohammed Bello said that the council approved the award of the contract for the complete development of FCT road number 105, popularly known as Kuje road.
According to him, that is the road linking the satellite city of Kuje with the interchange and it has been approved to the tune of N54.9 billion with a completion period of four years.
“The second is the road that leads to one of the train stations along the Abuja city rail system, and that is the Gbazango station. Gbazango is a community within Bwari, FCT.
“The intention of the project is to complete that road so that the station is functional.
“It was awarded for the contract sum of 1.3 billion naira,” he said.
