By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – IN the quest to boost food production and create wealth for farmers, the Federal Government has ended its agricultural empowerment programme launch tagged, Project ‘Earn From The Soil’, in the South-South geopolitical zone with grand launch in Delta State, and targets over 500,000 smallholder farmers.

In a remark during the grand launch in Warri, Delta State, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, South-South, Hon Gift Johnbull, explained that the initiative aligns with President Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ Agenda, focusing on food security, agricultural growth, and economic empowerment for women.

Meanwhile, the launch in Delta State follows the successful rollout of the project in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Edo States, which culminated in Delta State.

According to Johnbull, the stage is now set for the Federal Government to commence implementation of the project, which aims to revolutionize agriculture and enhance food security in the South -South region by promoting cooperative formation and commodity-based clustering.

She said: “This significant event marks a critical step forward in our collective effort to economically empower women in Delta State and the wider South-South region.

“As we embark on this journey together, let us harness our resources, our fertile lands, and our people’s ingenuity to build a prosperous, food-secure, and equitable Delta State.”

She also explained that the Federal Government’s target is to reach over 500,000 smallholder farmers, agribusinesses, and fisherfolk, with a particular focus on empowering women.

She further stated that the goals of the project include: Promotion of sustainable farming practices that increase agricultural productivity; Enhancing value addition to agricultural and aquacultural products; Focusing on processing and packaging; Developing robust market linkages to ensure women farmers access both local and international markets; Fostering cluster projects that promote entrepreneurship in agribusiness; and creating opportunities along the agricultural value chains.

Meanwhile, the Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Community Development, Emakpor Odogu, in a keynote address, pointed out that it is very imperative for such agricultural empowerment project championed by Tinubu-led administration in Delta State and the entire South-South geopolitical zone, and added that it was timely.

Odogu also described the initiative as a “deliberate course of action” being put in place to alleviate hunger, which he noted that it solidly aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, zero tolerance for hunger, and expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for bringing such initiative to Delta State.

“When you are hungry and you have a means to get on, and you have a deliberate course of action, it then means you have hope”, he said.

According to him, the launch of the WEE Policy and the ‘Earn From The Soil’ Project is expected to position Delta State as a leader in agricultural development, setting a benchmark for sustainable economic growth through women’s empowerment in the South-South region.