The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has disbursed a N4.2m revolving agricultural loan to forty-two rural farmers in Delta state.
Receiving the loan, beneficiaries hailed the directorate for granting them access to the loans.
Celestine Onyehazia, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries of the loan, thanked the NDE for granting them access to the loans and pledged their collective resolve to repay on time.
Meanwhile, the Director- General, NDE, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, in address to the participants said the exercise marked the commencement of loan disbursement for the four different agricultural loans under the Rural Employment Promotion Department in the state.
Fikpo, represented by the Deputy Director, Human Resources, NDE, Abuja, Mrs Kate Oyoyo, said the launch of the loan disbursement in Asaba was to tackle mass unemployment in the country as statutory responsibility NDE.
He said, “This event is memorable and life changing that will go a long way to contributing positively to the development of the youths as well as the economy of the nation.
“It is the flag-off of the four loan schemes; Sustainable Agricultural Development Empowerment, Graduate Agricultural Empowerment Scheme, Agricultural Enhancement Scheme and Community-Based Agricultural Empowerment Scheme.”
Sylvanus Onyeogo, the acting state coordinator for the NDE, thanked the director general on behalf of the beneficiaries in the state for sanctioning the loans.
He said that the directorate had taught many unemployed women and young people through its different programs who were now standing in line to receive loans from the state.
Onyeogo claims that the 42 Delta recipients of the REP programs had received training in their specific plans, which guided the disbursement of money to help them expand their agribusinesses.
“It is based on this training that you are being granted loan packages to enable you establish agribusinesses of your choice on sustainable basis and to explore value-chain thinking in agricultural sector.
“A total of N4.2m will be disbursed to 42 beneficiaries from those trained under the sustainable agriculture and agriculture extension training schemes at the rate on N100,000 for each beneficiary.
“Therefore, I urge you to effectively use the loan for the purpose for which it is obtained and pay back at the stipulated time to enable others benefit.”
