Around 1,700 women, youths and People Living With Disability (PLWDs) in Kaduna State have been selected as direct beneficiaries of Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvements Support (APPEALS) Project.
They are to receive grants to develop their chosen agric investments.
The state coordinator of the programme, Dr Yahaya Aminu, who disclosed this during a press conference in Kaduna, said the project would encourage them to be active and participate more in the agricultural sector.
“The project targets 10,000 direct beneficiaries and 50,000 indirect beneficiaries in Kaduna State.
“At least 35 per cent, around 3,500 of direct beneficiaries will be women and at least 5-10 per cent, about 500-1000 will be PLWDs.
“The project has a component to benefit women and youths that will allow them to develop agribusiness that are expected to create jobs and improve their livelihoods,” he said.
The coordinator explained that the programme would focus on PLWDs as they were the set of people not motivated in farming because of their peculiarities.
He also said one of the areas the project would intervene is improving the quality of inputs right from the planting, management of the crop, to handling of harvest and storage.
He explained further that APPEALS is a project developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, (FMARD), in collaboration with the World Bank with over 200 million US dollars to cover six states.
The six participating states, according to him, include Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Cross River, Kogi and Enugu with dairy, ginger, tomato, cassava, rice, cocoa, cashew, wheat, poultry, aquaculture, and maize value chains as areas of focus.
