Some beneficiaries of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project in Delta have lauded the project for impacting them by improving their livelihood.
The incubatees (beneficiaries) who spoke with newsmen on Friday on their experiences and benefits at the various project centres visited in the state, said that LIFE-ND project was real and had no rival.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LIFE-ND is a Federal Government of Nigeria initiatives which was supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the nine participating states in the Niger Delta Region.
Mrs Idu Ossai, an incubatees in Aboh, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of the state, said she was trained on fisheries by the LIFE-ND appointed incubator(trainer).
According to her, the project has equipped her with the needed skills to become a mother, who can take care of a home.
“I appreciate the project, sincerely, we have never seen this before, it is real and impacting directly and indirectly the lives of people in rural communities.
“The project took me, trained me from the start to the end and established me with the needed agribusiness equipment and some financial support to sustain my business.”
On her part, Mercy Ozakpolo, a mother of three children, said that LIFE-ND has given her life a meaning by putting food on her table.
“I am from Oza Nogogo, in Ika South LGA of Delta and a mother of three children. It is by the grace of God that we become beneficiary of the LIFE-ND project.
“Before now, I was not doing anything but struggling for survival until LIFE-ND selected me to benefit in this poultry programme and since then, my life has changed for better.
“The LIFE-ND built this structure with a battery cage and stocked it with 500 day old chick, poultry feeds and cash support for each of the incubatees (beneficiaries) of the programme to enable us nurture the birds to maturity(eight weeks) here in Oza Nogogo community.
Another poultry incubatee , Emmanuel Omorege, who was unemployed before the engagement lauded the project for impacting him positively.
“With this intervention, my level of survival is high and I can meet up with the demand of life, thanks to LIFE-ND.
On her part, Elizabeth Akpan, an Incubatee of Casava Processing at Urhoka, Abraka in Ethiope East LGA, lauded the LIFE-ND for impacting her positively.
She said that she learnt a lot from the trainer (Incubator) on how to process cassava to fufu-garri, starch, garri and poultry feed among others.
According to her, life is better now compared to before when the project has not impacted them.
“With this training, me and my partners can process cassava tubers from the farm to finish products and market them to make money for our families.
“We truly appreciate the LIFE-ND project and also pray that it could be sustained to enable more people benefit and to create jobs and wealth for our people.
On his part, LIFE-ND Incubator(Trainer) Mr Saint-Paul Oraka, said that the five incubatees asigned to him under the project, had learned the routine of cassava processing into fufu-garri, starch, garri and ethanol among others.
“According to Oraka, fufu-garri is better taking by diabetic patients and is recommended for everyone because it has less starch and sugar content is low.
“So, I encouraged the incubatees to produce more of fufu-garri than ordinary garri.
” It is cost effective and demand for it is rising daily and as we speak, we have began a process of mass production for both local consumption and for export.”
Oraka,said that to meet his daily raw material need, he had cultivated over 400 hectares of cassava farm.
He said that he would also offtake the 30 hectare cassava farm established by LIFE-ND for 10 incubatees at Urhoka Community in Ethiope East LGA of the state.
According to Oraka, one hectare of cassava farm will yield about 15 tonnes of cassava at harvest annually.
NAN also reports that LIFE-ND built 10 lock-up shops for Emu Obodoti Community in Ndokwa Wast LGA of the state.
It constructed Oil Palm Processing Mill at Ute-Okpu Community in Ika North East LGA of the state.
It also built Poultry Building (Battery Cage) at Oza Nogogo, Ika South LGA and Cassava Processing Mill at Aboh, Ndokwa East LGA of the state and counting.
Credit: NAN News