FADAMA disburses N507m to beneficiaries in Delta

Anthony Abanom, the Delta State Coordinator of FADAMA III, says the programme has disbursed more than N507 million to beneficiaries in 20 local government areas in the state.
Abanom told the News Agency of Nigeria in Asaba, the Delta State capital, that the funds were disbursed directly to 1,419 economic interest groups in 123 communities.
The coordinator said that the state achieved 88 per cent success in its performance as at June, going by the World Bank standards, as against 55.7 per cent achieved in the same period last year.
According to him, the N507 million represented 50.3 per cent increase in the N252.3 disbursed to 67 communities in 15 councils in June 2012.
He said: “The direct beneficiaries from the projects are 19,071 persons of whom 47.6 per cent are females.
“Empirical studies conducted by experts at mid-term of the project implementation showed general increase of 36.7 per cent in income of direct beneficiaries of grant resources.”
Abanom said records showed that direct beneficiaries of the programme registered this year increased yield of 18.27 per cent for cassava, 14.41 per cent for maize and 13.27 per cent for yam in the crop sub sector.
He added: “In the livestock sub-sector and related enterprises, egg production recorded 11 per cent; goat rearing, 30 per cent; and fisheries, 26.67 per cent in the current year.”
The coordinator noted that the programme had also intervened in building community-owned rural infrastructure that supported agricultural production in the period under review.
He said that some of the interventions of the programme included the construction of a concrete bridge at Owa Abbi community, Ika North Local Government Area.
Abanom said that a mini water scheme was constructed at Ubulubu in Aniocha North and a borehole for agro processing at Abah Unor in the same area.
“There is an ongoing construction of five lock-up market stalls with water supply, sanitary and waste disposal facilities at Utagba Uno community,” Abanom said.
He said that beneficiaries had saved N16.2 million under the Fadama Users Equity Funds as against N2.2 million saved last year.
The coordinator said that strategies were already in place to organise all the benefiting 20 councils under one umbrella known as Federated Fadama Community Association.
He explained that the measure would mobilise financial and social capital base for sustaining the programme.