Farmers seek conducive environment to operate

Farmers have called on the Federal Government to create an enabling environment for agricultural activities to thrive.

They argued that only a conducive environment will attract investment in the sector.

In a chat with The Nation, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) President Kabir Ibrahim said inputs like fertilisers and good seeds should be available at affordable prices devoid of monopoly.

Ibrahim, who pointed out the importance of interrupted power provision to farmers, also urged the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to explore the water bodies for irrigation purposes.

He said: “Good seeds should be available and they should be mechanisation. Tractors should be available at affordable prices.

“We are about 40 million farmers, we need an enabling environment, we need fertilisers to be available in Nigeria like coca cola, and there should be no monopoly of it.“

The National President, Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria, Igwe Hilary Uche, said he had grouped the oil palm farmers in clusters in some states as directed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He said the funding was still being awaited.

Uche said: “Oil palm is capital intensive, you hardly see average farmers in oil palm because it takes a long gestation period before yielding anything and in any country where oil palm is supporting the economy of that country, the government of that country supports the production of oil palm.

“We have been writing to the federal government through memos, write ups and calling them on meetings to sensitise them on how viable oil palm is in Nigeria and how great oil palm will help the economy.

“Agriculture will support the country and masses because they will be feeding, if the government can support agriculture fully, Nigeria can never lack in anything because it is a rich country.

“We have reached out to the CBN countless times. I gave them all they needed including data of farmers which I grouped in clusters.”

Also speaking, Vice Chairman, Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Rabe Bala, lamented the lack of modern farming techniques among farmers.

On input distribution, he said farmers registered under the CBN Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) do not get inputs at the appropriate time.

“A farmer needs seeds in April or June, unfortunately they get it in July or August which has passed the time of planting.”