Youth farmers receive interest-free loans from Abia.
According to the Abia State Government, 302 young people who have received training in agricultural endeavours in the state are now receiving interest-free loans.
This was revealed on Monday at a press conference on the results of the State Executive Council meeting held at Government House, Umuahia, by Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr. Okey Kanu.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, 302 young people were trained in various agricultural endeavours at CSS Global Integrated Farms, a farm located in Nassarawa, in February thanks to government sponsorship.
According to the commissioner, the training program was sponsored for the loan recipients as part of the government's efforts to increase the state's food production.
He declared: "302 CSS farms that train young farmers are now receiving interest-free loans. The process has begun."This comes after His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti approved and flagged the disbursement of interest-free loans sometime in September.
In order to guarantee that the purpose for disbursing the cash would be realised, he said, the state Ministry of Agriculture will make sure that the loan distribution followed correct protocol.
Beneficiaries will get payments in installments based on milestones that are connected to the volume and quality of work they have completed, rather than receiving a single, lump sum payment.
Kanu stated, "All of these are to make sure the loans are utilised appropriately."