FG To Use Internally Displaced Persons For Farming – Yilwatda

The federal government has said it would include persons affected by disasters currently in camps in its farming project in order to boost food production.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, said the policy would give durable solution to humanitarian crisis the country faces in providing food to vulnerable groups.

Yilwatda explained that his ministry would partner with state governments and Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs) to effect the project.

In a statement on Friday, the Humanitarian Minister further disclosed that his ministry would provide the farm inputs, state governments would provide the land and management of Internally Displaced Camps would provide labour.

“As part of the durable solution to the humanitarian crisis Nigeria is facing in providing food to the vulnerable groups, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has adopted a participatory agricultural scheme that the ministry, the state governments, and the IDPs will have shared responsibility in food production.

“Under this new scheme, the ministry shall provide the farm inputs while the state governments will provide the land, and the IDPs will provide the labour. At harvest, the IDP farmers will be given 30% of the harvest for food, while 70% will be off taken by National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and the cash transferred to the account of the farmers. The 70% that is off taken will be saved in strategic reserve and used to feed other vulnerable Nigerians,” Yilwatda said.

He emphasized that the tripartite approach would help to guarantee food security while serving as safety net for vulnerable persons.

According to him, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has promised to provide 500 hectares of land for the scheme.

“This approach will improve the resilience of the IDPs to poverty, address food security, and create additional safety net channels for other vulnerable persons.

“Borno State Government has already agreed to provide 500 hectares of land for this scheme, and I deeply appreciate the commitment of Gov Babagana Umara Zulum in addressing the needs of the IDPs in Borno State,” Yilwatda stated.