?The Fadama III Coordination Office in Delta says it has?given out N256 million to 491 Fadama Users' Groups (FUGs) among the 68 Fadama Community Associations (FCAs) across the state.
Mr Donald Ojebo, Communication Officer for the programme in the state,?made this known?in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba.
Ojebo said that the amount was disbursed to the benefiting groups and associations drawn from the participating 20 Local Government Areas in the state,?since 2009 when the programme began in Delta.
He said that the total amount provided for credits to participating groups and associations in the state was $7.9 million, adding that 200 communities in the 20 LGAs were participating in the programme.
According to him the effective date of disbursement of funds under the programme in the state was March, 2009 but actual receipt of initial credit deposit of $600,000 was in August of the same year.
He said?that the programme began ?in the state with 1,585 FUGs and 124 FCAs which had been registered as at Nov. 2009, when Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta launched it.
Ojebo?stated that the state government had paid its counterpart contributions to the programme to date, adding that although some local government councils had made commitments, there are still outstanding contributions to be made.
He listed current projects implemented in the participating LGAs? as 173 crops projects, 27 agro-processing, 101 livestock, 106 fisheries, 46 agro-forestry, two marketing, 34 non-agricultural ventures and six community-owned infrastructure.
He called on all the participating communities and councils to pay up their counterpart funds to enable them to draw from the programme,?adding that community empowerment was integral to sustainable rural development. (NAN)