By Abdulrahman Abdullahi
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammed Sabo Nanono has admitted that over 47 million of women were affected by the pandemic in Nigeria.
The Minister said this while giving an opening remarks at the flag off ceremony of inputs distribution to 7,500 smallholder women farmers in Abuja yesterday.
Nanono explained that women were at the receiving end of the effects of the pandemic.
He noted that as a result of these effects, his ministry laid out this effort to cushion the hardship faced by rural women farmers in the country.
Nanono maintained that the ministry’s efforts are aimed at improving rural infrastructures, food and nutrition, and enhancing human standard of living.
The Minister urged the beneficiaries to use the provided palliative judiciously.
“Stakeholders and other relevant agencies should also assist rural women farmers to improve the livelihood of rural women.” He said.
Earlier speaking at the event, Mary Isaiah, the Chairperson of Small scale women farmers association, noted that farmers experience a lot of hardship and challenges during the pandemic period.
She added that numerous farm produce were lost such as vegetables, corn, rice, millet and the rest, due to the lockdown which prevented farmers to go to farm.
She expressed her gratitude to the Federal Government for bringing up such good initiative in alleviating poverty and hardship among the rural women farmers in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, applauded the efforts of the ministry in assisting farmers, most especially the rural women farmer, noting that they are at the centre of harsh effect of the pandemic.
Ngige pledged that his ministry will support women at all cost in providing more job and pave way to cushion the effects of the pandemic.
