New Telegraph

Food security: Farmers seek robust policy change in agric sector

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s stance on achieving food security in the country, Nigerian farmers under the auspices of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) have called for a robust policy change in the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) also known as Green Alternative, which has gulped N1.7 trillion of the country’s GDP.

National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AKabir Ibrahim, made this known to New Telegraph in an interview, saying that APP, which sprouted from Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) and the manifesto of All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as the enthusiasm of President Buhari was now expired and needs rejigging in a bid to achieve food sufficiency in Nigeria. Ibrahim said that the policy had been responsible for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s intervention, which, according to Mr Godwin Emefiele, the CBN governor, has gulped N1.7 trillion, following the passage of various bills such as Fertilizer Bill, Soil Science Bill, Seed ACT, PVC Bill, the resuscitation of NALDA, as well as putting agriculture in the front banner.

According to him, it is absolutely necessary to sustain the tempo to optimise the impact of APP by evolving a strategy to accentuate it that is congruent to the intent of the President on setting agenda for robust food production and safety in Nigeria. The AFAN president noted that the issue of food security is a sine quo non to the overall welfare of the nation because it provides the impetus for innovation, improvisation as well as scientific and technological development. The AFAN national president said: “As it is today, we have a president passionate about Nigeria and conscious of leaving a legacy of food sufficiency and economic development, but crippled by a weak crop of appointees in some vital ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

“The availability of vast arable land, highly diverse and huge able-bodied population, large oil and other mineral resources should together make Nigeria prosperous but we are struggling to feed ourselves due to ineffective, incoherent and myopic management of our endowment.

“Over the years, we have systematically reduced leadership to mere redistribution of the country’s vast God-given resources to ourselves, kith and kin rather than the various regions and the whole nation at large. “Today, we are paying a huge price for the mismanagement through incessant insecurity, abject poverty, failing institutions and very limited FDI (foreign direct investment).

“The real threat is lack of trust as well as intolerance bordering on regional and religious boundaries.” Ibrahim explained that the immediate action to take in order to stem this tide was to look at the issues around hunger, equality, education and the overall economy with all the attendant variables of equity and selflessness. He stressed further that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should have a veritable data base, digitize extension work as well as make deliberate effort at sensitising the youth to replace the country’s aging farmers instead of the widening the disconnect between the farmers and the ministry. The renowned farmer said: “We do not currently have a fully pledged policy to enliven the APP nearly two years after its expiry which portends limited investment decisions in ramping up self-sufficiency and value-addition.”

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