By Wilbet Ijeoma (NewsView)
The Delta State Government has empowered another 70 farmers in Oshimili South Local Government Area with agricultural inputs under the Delta Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (D-CARES) programme, as part of efforts to boost food production, tackle poverty and strengthen household incomes across the state.
The beneficiaries, comprising 30 poultry farmers and 40 fish farmers, received high-breed chicks, fingerlings and other agricultural inputs at an empowerment programme held Friday at the Asaba Girls Grammar School (AGGS) Hall, Asaba.
The intervention, led by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Chairman of the State Steering Committee of D-CARES, Mr. Sonny Ekedayen, brings to 17,450 the number of beneficiaries empowered by the state government under the programme.
Representing Governor Sheriff Oborevwori at the event, Ekedayen said 690 beneficiaries had so far been drawn from nine communities in Oshimili South, adding that the number would rise with the latest intervention.
“Today’s 70 beneficiaries, plus the 70 others empowered at Otor-Uwhe earlier this week, will increase the number,” he said.
Ekedayen described D-CARES as a collaboration involving the Federal Government, World Bank and state governments, designed to promote food security, sustainable development, economic resilience and improved livelihoods.
He said the Oborevwori administration was deliberate in using the programme to strengthen the economic base of vulnerable households and move beneficiaries away from poverty.
According to him, government’s intervention would continue to target organised and productive citizens, regardless of their location.
“As long as the people are organised, purposeful and law-abiding, government will locate them,” he said.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the state government was providing relief to fish farmers at Camp 74, Anwai, who suffered losses during last year’s flooding.
He described the intervention as another fulfilment of the Governor’s promise to support Deltans during periods of economic or environmental hardship.
“Today is another promise kept, which is an indication that the government genuinely cares and works,” Ekedayen said.
‘D-CARES can take farmers out of poverty’
Speaking with journalists, the Commissioner described the D-CARES empowerment programme as “a shortcut or one of the surest ways out of poverty,” noting that agricultural production could generate income for beneficiaries within a relatively short period.
He disclosed that 20 communities had been selected for the ongoing second phase of the intervention, with two already benefiting.
Ekedayen also dismissed allegations that the programme was being politicised, insisting that the intervention was apolitical and driven by the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of Deltans.
He nevertheless urged beneficiaries and residents of Oshimili South to reciprocate the Governor’s support by backing him and other candidates endorsed by his administration in the 2027 general elections.
‘Our target is food security’
The State Coordinator of D-CARES, Lady Dr. Patience Ogbewe, commended Governor Oborevwori for sustaining interventions aimed at improving the lives of Deltans.
Ogbewe said the programme was built around sustainable development and intended to lift beneficiaries beyond economic vulnerability.
“It leads to long-term prosperity; you no longer depend on others to feed or beg. In the end, it generates economic and sustainable development,” she said.
She said more than 17,000 people had already benefited from the programme, adding that the latest 70 beneficiaries would further expand its reach.
Ogbewe identified financial insecurity, climate change, disease outbreaks and flooding among the major challenges confronting farmers.
She, however, assured beneficiaries that FADAMA would continue to provide support when unforeseen challenges affected their investments.
Citing the Camp 74 fish farmers whose farms were affected by flooding, she said the current relief intervention demonstrated government’s commitment to standing by beneficiaries beyond the initial distribution of inputs.
On the timing of the intervention, Ogbewe said it was strategic, as the poultry and fish farmers were expected to begin supplying the market within about three months.
She said the objective was to increase the availability and affordability of protein foods, particularly during the Christmas and New Year period.
“Our primary goal is food security — to make food not only available but affordable,” she said.
The State Coordinator said the programme was also expanding both horizontally and vertically, with horizontal expansion focused on bringing more beneficiaries into the scheme and vertical expansion aimed at strengthening implementation and improving results.
Oshimili South terrain informed choice of inputs
Earlier, the State Project Coordinator, FADAMA/Technical Head, D-CARES RA2, Mrs. Therese Omame, said the excitement among beneficiaries reflected the impact of the intervention.
Omame recalled that some residents had initially questioned the sincerity of the programme but said the results recorded over the years had vindicated the intervention.
She disclosed that D-CARES, which commenced more than three years ago, had reached several communities in Oshimili South, including difficult-to-access riverine communities around the Oko axis.
According to her, the programme does not discriminate in its selection of beneficiaries.
She projected that the beneficiaries would begin supplying poultry and fish to the market within the next three months, thereby increasing economic activity in Oshimili South.
“In the next three months, we are going to have people that have more money in their pockets to do some of the things they were not able to do and people that will contribute to the macro-economy of this local government area,” she said.
Explaining the choice of chicks and fingerlings for the beneficiaries, Omame said the peculiar terrain of Oshimili South made cassava cultivation less feasible in some communities, hence the preference for poultry and fish farming.
She put the outreach performance of D-CARES at about 80 per cent, saying the programme had reached 253 communities across Delta State, including riverine communities in far Warri North, with two additional communities recently added.
Omame said communities were selected based on expressions of interest, while FADAMA engaged traditional institutions and conducted socioeconomic assessments and needs analysis to determine areas of intervention.
She said the process was designed to ensure that interventions were needs-driven rather than politically influenced.
Beneficiaries commend Governor
Also speaking, Ernest Okosi, Secretary of APC Ward 9 in Oshimili South, delivered a goodwill message on behalf of the beneficiaries and their communities.
Okosi, who disclosed that he benefited from the programme in 2024, commended the state government for sustaining the intervention and appealed for the inclusion of more residents.
He also assured the Governor of the support of the people of Oshimili South in the forthcoming elections.
In his closing remarks, Ekedayen urged the beneficiaries to make productive use of the inputs and ensure that the intervention translated into increased food production and improved household incomes.
He thanked the community for organising themselves into groups and urged the beneficiaries to justify the government’s investment in them.
The Commissioner subsequently led the presentation of agricultural inputs and vouchers to the beneficiaries.
Among those who expressed appreciation were Augustine Amechi of Harmony Fish, Dike Chizzy Favour of The Great Fishery and Endurance Idagwe of Camp 74 Precision Fish Farm.
They thanked Governor Oborevwori for what they described as his continued support and commitment to the welfare of farmers.
Also present were the Head of Operations, D-CARES Coordinating Unit, Mr. Christopher Oyenike; Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Economic Planning, Mrs. Ese Obote; and staff of the D-CARES office.
The event featured opening remarks, addresses by the Commissioner and State Coordinator, presentation of input vouchers and agricultural inputs, press interviews and a group photograph.