Dr Mathew Ahmed, Permanent Secretary, Niger Ministry for Agriculture, has advocated the provision of subsidy on farm inputs for farmers in the country
According to him, this is to bolster food production and address the shortage of food in the country.
The permanent secretary made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Sunday
He said to increase food production, the federal and state governments should continuously subsidise farm inputs for the farmers to enable them engage in an all-year-round farming.
Ahmed added that the provision of irrigation facilities for the farmers to farm three times a year would increase productivity and improve the economy.
He said the Gov. Umaru Bago-led administration has embarked on a massive agricultural revolution by procuring 1,000 tractors, 10,000 power tillers and 10,000 hand weeders for farmers in the state.
He added that the state government had also procured 100 combined harvesters, simple farm equipment that would allow women and youths to participate in agriculture.
The permanent secretary also said the government had provided 100 pivot irrigation equipment for three seasonal farming, taking advantage of arable land for continuous production of crops.
He said the government was currently cultivating one million hectares of land, adding that each local government was to develop 10,000 hectares.
Also, each civil servant was given one hectare to plant priority crops.
Ahmed said rolling out sustainability intervention programmes in agriculture was a profitable business, adding that agriculture was contributing to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He added that the state government was going into public-private partnership with Niger Foods for the farmers to have access to mechanisation, financial institutions to access credit as well as bring investors og agro-inputs for small holder farmers.
Ahmed said the state government was making efforts to secure the farmers and crops by providing an enabling environment for them to insure their crops with insurance firms to enable them recover from losses in case of natural disasters.
He added that farmers that would be working with Niger Foods in collaboration with the state Agricultural and Mechanisation Development Authority (NAMDA) would be insured with the state contributory health scheme.
According to the permanent secretary, this will enable farmers to access healthcare service in case they are beaten by snakes, scorpions or wounded in the course of farming.
On the efforts of the state government to tackle insecurity, Ahmed said the Bago-led administration had created Ministries for Homeland Security and Nomadic Affairs to address farmers/herders conflicts.
He said the creation of the ministries was to ensure every community was safe from banditry and kidnapping activities across the 25 local government areas.
Ahmed said the governor also met with traditional leaders on a regular basis to look at issues of security and had strengthened vigilance groups to work with security agencies to enable the farmers cultivate crops for more production to address the food crisis.
Similarly, in an effort to address food security, the Nasarawa government says it has commenced cultivation of a 10,000 hectares farm for rice, sesame, millet and maize in Jangwa, Awe Local Government Area of the state.
Gov. Abdullahi Sule, told this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after inspecting the progress in the farm on Sunday.
He said it was in line with the food security initiative of the renewed hope of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Sule said that Nasarawa state was endowed with arable land with a significant number of its people making a living through agricultural practices.
“At the moment, we have started with rice and we will later plant sesame, maize and millet,” he said.
Sule said that the project was under the Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme (NADP).
He added that local farmers would be incorporated through an out-growers system that would allow them to benefit from seedlings and other farm inputs, while the government serves as the off-taker.
Also, Umar Dan’Akano, Commissioner for Agriculture, said apart from the farm project, the state government would soon begin distribution of farming inputs – fertilisers, herbicides, insecticides, seeds and seedlings to wet season farmers at subsidised rate to ensure food sufficiency.
According to the commissioner, the state government had earlier distributed 13 trucks of fertilizers alongside herbicides, insecticides, seeds, seedlings, knapsack sprayers among others at subsidised rate for dry season farmers.
“Nasarawa state under the leadership of Gov Abdullahi Sule, is committed to ensuring food security, so preparation for wet season farming is on top gear as clearing of 10,000 hectares of farm land in Jangwa and Agwatashi have begun.
“Plans are underway to commence the distribution of fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers to boost food production in the state,” he said.
Mr Emmanuel Alanana, Programme Manager, Nasarawa State Agricultural Development Programme (NADP) said it was working hard to boost the capacity of extension agents in order to boost productivity.
He also said NADP had made available chemical, weed control, herbicides, insecticides, improved seeds and seedlings and human power advisory services for farmers.
“NADP is saddled with the responsibility of improving the livelihood of small holder farmers,
we started making our own arrangements in terms of seeds provision, chemical, weed control, herbicide and even in terms of human power advisory services.
“It may also interest you to note that based on the situation in the country now, Gov Sule is looking at other areas where intervention comes up to support smallholder farmers to boost food production,” he said.
He said that the state government had mapped out plans to go into mass production of three crops namely: Rice, Sesame and maize production to boost the markets, availability of food and revenue generation for the state.
On his part, Joshua Jonathan, President, Association of Small Scale Agro-Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN) said his members were working hard in preparation towards the rainy season by buying a few farming items they could afford.
“We expect that the government should involve organisations like ASSAPIN in terms of this food security scarcity programme they are implementing, but we have not seen them involving other organisations like ours,” he added.
Jonathan advised the government on early distribution of fertilisers and other farming inputs to farmers, noting that farming was a time bound venture.
On the high cost of animal feed, Aishatu Onuku, Director, Animal Husbandry Services, Nasarawa state Ministry of Agriculture, said farmers were being sensitised through extension services on the use of alternative feeds to reduce the cost.
“Farmers are sensitised to prepare their own pasture with residues gotten from previous harvest and save them for the purpose of feeding their animals.
“Another way to reduce high cost of feed is to sell off animals that are not giving birth in the last four to five years and replace them with younger ones
“We can also minimize fees intake of the animals by reducing distance trekking of the animals, if animals trek a long distance, definitely they tend to eat much, ” she said
Onuku advised farmers to introduce richer feed that contains all the components of nutrients, noting that the animals would consume less feed when it has all the ingredients thereby reducing the demand for feed.
In Lokoja, the survey on the high cost of foodstuffs in Kogi shows that the state seems to be amongst states in Nigeria that are experiencing roof top prices of commodities.
Some residents, experts and government officials that spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja described the economic hardship being experienced in Kogi as “very alarming” and “worrisome.”
Mr Aliyu Adeola, a Mechanical Engineer, blamed Nigeria’s economic hardship on the high cost of petrol, which he said shot up the prices of virtually everything in the country.
“When the oil subsidy was removed at the inception of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the price of petrol rose from N530 to N670 and now N720.
“At that time everything in the market including food stuffs began to rise beyond the reach of the common man. Today a mudu (measure) of Gari is N1, 50O as against N250 orN300 initial price.
“Transportation has become a serious problem to travellers, especially traders, who now pay fares more than the goods they purchase. Of course they have a factor in the cost of transportation into the goods when selling.
“Can you imagine that the transport fare from Lokoja to Okene, which used to be N1,000 is now N2, 500? From Okene to Bilo community, my town, which was N500 is now N1,500?, ” he queried. .
According to him, until the government brings down fuel prices, ”we will continue to experience a high cost of living.”
An Agriculturist, Dr Shola Abayomi, said the high cost of foodstuffs remained a complex issue with multiple factors contributing to it.
Abayomi said that some potential ways to address the issue include increasing food production and supply by ensuring adequate security for farmers, encouraging local farming, improving agricultural productivity, and reducing post-harvest losses.
He urged the government to improve food distribution and logistics through enhanced transportation infrastructure, storage facilities, and market access to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
The agriculturist also urged the government to address underlying economic and social issues such as poverty, inequality, and economic instability, which could contribute to food insecurity and high food prices.
“The government and relevant stakeholders must Invest in research and development to continuously improve agricultural productivity, disease resistance, and climate resilience through scientific research and innovation.
“Governments can also regulate prices and provide subsidies to make essential food items more affordable.
“A combination of these strategies, tailored to specific regional and cultural contexts, can help alleviate the high cost of foodstuffs and ensure food security for all,” Abayomi said.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Timothy Ojomah, said that the government was very much aware of the hardship Kogi residents are experiencing and have taken drastic measures to cushion the effects.
Ojomah explained that as part of intervention, the Gov Usman Ododo’s administration has earmarked 10,000 hectares of Land for cultivation and 136 Tractors for the 2024 wet season farming.
He said that has provided the logistics and inputs such as free tractors, fertilizers, improved seeds and chemicals to help farmers cultivate Maize, Rice and Cassava in the land provided across the state.
“To ensure food production and security in Kogi, we have provided extension workers in the 76 farm locations across the state and proper monitoring for best agricultural practice.
“We recently embarked on recruitment of 50 hunters in each of the 21 LGAs of the state to ensure that farmers are protected during the farming season for massive food production.
“The government has also planned quick off taking of the three main crops, Maize, Rice and Cassava during harvest to avoid losses and good processing.
“It’s our belief that if there is massive food production and good infrastructure like roads for transportation, the prices of foodstuffs in the market will reduce and people will have enough to eat and survive, ” he said.
On his part, the Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), urged the government to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and institutions, and reorganize the security architecture at all levels.
Idris further advised the government to provide an enabling environment to citizens to embrace agriculture, which does not have to be commercial farming as well as encouraging specialization in agricultural produce.
“All hands must be on desk to fight this common enemy of food crises and shortage, as everybody must eat,” Idris said.
Also, Mr Olukaiyeja Dare, a retired State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, called for concerted effort to support small-scale farmers by providing training, credit, and access to markets to increase their productivity and competitiveness.
Dare urged the government to promote sustainable agriculture practices; encourage organic farming, permaculture, and regenerative agriculture to reduce environmental degradation and improve soil health.
A farmer, Abdullahi Ibrahim, appealed to the government to reduce food waste by implementing initiatives to reduce food waste throughout the supply chain, from farm to table.
“We want the government to invest in food storage and preservation by improving farmers’ access to storage facilities, refrigeration, and preservation technologies to reduce food spoilage.
“The government should be committed to supporting local food markets, community-supported agriculture programs, and urban agriculture initiatives,” Ibrahim said. NAN
