Gov Ortom approves N200m agric facility for women, civil servants

Gov Ortom approves N200m agric facility for women, civil servants

                       

Benue State Executive Council has approved the release of N200 million from the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme facility for disbursement to women cooperatives and civil servants towards boosting agricultural production in the state.
Each of the groups will be given N100 million.
According to a release by Mr. Terver Akase, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Samuel Ortom, the decisions were taken at the end of the council’s weekly meeting presided over by the governor in Makurdi, yesterday.
Part of the statement read: “The council, hence, directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to ensure that the 841 cooperatives, which registered for the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme through the Better Life Micro-Finance Bank, fully participate in the programme.
“A review of the prevailing ban on felling of trees and commercia-lisation of forestry products was also done in view of the loss of internally generated revenue, IGR, being incurred by the state as a result of illegal smuggling of forestry products.
“Council, therefore, approved the lifting of the ban on felling of trees and commercialisation of forestry products with immediate effect to enable Benue State’s Internal Revenue Service to commence collection of revenue from the source.
“The Ministry of Water Resources and Environment was also directed to undertake sensitisation of the people on the need to plant trees to replace the ones felled to avoid deforestation and its attendant effect on the environment.”