The Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority has empowered Duku-Lade rice farmers by distributing farm input, seed and financial aid (loan) to the production of local rice in the area. This gesture is an annual intervention of the management of the Authority in an effort to complement the federal government’s policy in ending importation of polished rice, which has impacted national economy negatively and thereby promoting local production of rice as a means of sustaining food security in Nigeria.

Delivering the goodwill message of the LNRBDA Managing Director, Dr. Olabisi Awoniyi, disclosed that the level of commitments and responsiveness of the Authority on the plight and hardship of the farmers in Duku-Lade had helped increase their output and had also provided a conducive environment that would enable the farmers to carry out their activities with relative ease.

The MD representative said the Authority\'s gesture was done to show the great value its management attached to the programme and to enhance a wider participation of farmers in the programme on a yearly basis. He reassured them of the managements maximum cooperation that would make the importation of rice into the country a thing of past.

The Managing Director thanked the village head and the participating farmers for their cooperation in making last year farming scheme successful and promised that the Authority would increase the number of beneficiaries in subsequent years.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the representative of the rice farmers in lade, Mallam Sanni Abdullahi, thanked the management for the assistance rendered to them which he said, would helped the farmers to get rid of obstacles that hitherto hindered their progress and productivity. He assured the management that the incentives offered them would be used optimally.

The community head, the Lile of Lade prayed for the success of the Managing Director, Management and staff of the Authority as the support got from them came in good time. He further sought for the assistance of the management to provide a means through which the canal can be cleared and maintained to allow free-flow of water in order to avert possible occurrence of over- flooding.

The incentives given to farmers include fertilizers, herbicides and total sum of 17,000 Naira to each of them for seeds and maintenance of the farm.