FG to support 5m farmers through growth scheme

The federal government will support 5 million farmers this year through the Growth Enhancement Scheme, (GES), Programme, Deputy Chief of Party, Cellulant Nigeria limited, Gbenga Owolabi has said.
He said the GES will support dry season farming to help address food shortages being experienced in the country.
Speaking at the Agro dealers stakeholders’ forum in Abuja yesterday, Owolabi said the programme will be a departure from the past which was not only challenged by the agro dealers but others across the value chain.
He said “it is not in the interest of Cellulant to punish agro dealers, but we should all understand that we are facing a crisis in the economy right now, farmers in the past two years had not benefitted from the GES.”
Also the National Chairman of GES Agro Dealers Association of Nigeria, (GESAAN), Alhaji Kabiru Umar Fara, called on the federal government to balance the payment of N41billion still owed to the agro dealers since 2014.