The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • ‘How to stop exploitation’

    How can exploitation of farm workers be curbed? It is by strict implementation of a national minimum wage, says an expert, Dr Kola Adebayo.

    Adebayo,Director, African Region, Cassava Adding Value for Africa(C:AVA), said many agricultural workers are exploited.

    He said farmers receive wages well below the minimum wage and endure long working hours in the country’s fields and food processing factories.

    Adebayo argued that the existing national minimumwage and working time regulations should apply to farm workers.

    He said farm workers have no way of challenging employers over exploitative practices, adding that there is need to create a vehicle farm workers can use to lodge complaints and pursue labour claims against employers, without fear of being arrested and deported.

    He said farmers still receive slave wages and accommodated within squalid living conditions, arguing that there was a need for overhaul of policies which contribute to the exploitation of farm labourers.

    Calling for progressive reform, Adebayo said it should free up the industry to reward workers appropriately for the valuable work they do on the farms.

    Dean Faculty of Agricukture, University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Prof. Ini Akpabio urged the government to create an enabling environment to support the agricultural industry to make transition to practices that are standard in every other sector of the economy.

    He said producers in the sector need subsidies to create jobs and growth, and it was imperative that initiatives are taken in agriculture sector to help in increasing farmers’ income and boosting production.

    Akpabio stressed the importance of doubling food production and preparing a proper roadmap for successful implementation of increasing economic growth.

    The don canvassed improvement of government-provided agricultural support services to enable small farmers to take up commercial farming through sustainable practices.

  • Deans seek funding to transform agric

    The Federal Government has been asked to adequately fund the agricultural sector to achieve meaningful transformation.

    Deans of Agriculture of Nigerian Universities made the call at their 57th annual general meeting (AGM) held at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State.

    In a communique after the meeting, the association said: “Government at all levels should enhance allocations for agriculture and training and increase the budgetary allocation to the sector from the present 1.7 per cent to at least 10 percent in line with Maputo Declaration in order to ensure food security, create jobs and wealth. Also, budgetary allocation to agriculture and training should be released on time to ensure proper training of personnel so as to fast track the implementation of the agricultural transformation agenda of the Federal Government.”

    The Deans also called on the Ministry of Agriculture at all levels to facilitate the establishment of properly equipped research and training farms for agricultural training institutions with a view to providing adequate entrepreneurial skills to Nigerian youths who are tired of agriculture of hoes and cutlasses as it is currently practised in Nigeria.

    The association urged the National Assembly to hasten the passage of the bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Institute for Agriculture (NIAg) to create the enabling environment for private-public sector participation in agriculture and agricultural training.

    On the training of students, the association asked for a review of agriculture curriculum to reflect current realities of national and global transformation as this will prevent ambiguity and re-package agriculture for better delivery and higher efficiency.

    Addressing the Deans during the meeting, the Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, urged them to be more concerned about the quality of training they give students studying agriculture so as to make them self-reliant and key into the transformation agenda in the sector. The host of the meeting, who is also the Dean of School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, FUTA, Prof. J. A. Alokan, said the communiqué underscored the key position that agriculture would continue to play in the country’s quest for a self-reliance and vibrant economy.

    One of the high points of the meeting was the honour bestowed on Prof. Sheu AbdulRahman , the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University,Gashua, Yobe State. The association’s chairman, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, said Rahman was honoured for his contributions to the development of agriculture .

  • How to attain food security, by experts

    How can food security be achieved? It is by making agriculture a commercial venture, experts have said

    They spoke at a meeting between the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) and federal universities of agriculture in Makurdi, Benue State.

    Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Prof. Baba Abubakar, said there was need to improve investment in agricultural research and development in sustaining economic growth, alleviating poverty and preventing future food crises.

    He said research and development (R&D) investment was low compared with investment efforts in countries with well-developed and successful institutions for innovation in agriculture.He listed such countries to include Brazil, China, India, and Japan.

    Abubakar said increase in R&D performed by global agricultural input industries has coincided with significant changes to the structure of these industries.

    He said a functional research system was critical to agricultural industry success and long term development.

    He said the agric research system faces challenges related to shortage of quality faculty; inadequate finance and inability to diversify funding; poor and debilitating facilities and infrastructures; deteriorating quality and relevance of teaching and research; limited capacity for research, knowledge generation and adaptation capabilities; and an inability to meet increasing demand for equitable access.

    Abubakar said only 1000 of 10,000 staff of the research institutes have PHDs.

    According to him, research capacities are generally poor, due to shortage of senior faculty, poor infrastructure and facilities, lack of funding and strategic leadership.

    This development, he noted calls for focused and urgent intervention by the governments, institutional leaders and development partners.

    Abubakar said there was a consensus that neglect of agricultural research system cannot continue. He said the government must show commitment and support to the sector, recognising it as an engine of development that produces qualified human capital, generates knowledge and ensures participation in the economy.

    The National Project Corodinator, The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) Prof. Damian Chikwendu said agriculture is an engine for economic development and that sustained agricultural growth was crucial for reducing hunger and poverty.

    He said farmers lack good quality seeds, the soils are depleted yet they farm without reliable water supply and unpredictable weather conditions.

    Besides, he said farmers have no access to credit facilities from financial institutions as the terms are not favourable for them. The low productivity of these farms fuels the cycles of poverty and hunger in communities with high rate of unemployment for youths.

    He said a big challenge was that farmers lack skills and knowledge to explore experiences and to see how the delivery and potential of agricultural research can improve their productivity.

    He said WAAPP was working to draw on views from the field and those of the experts from research institutions and universities to be more effective and responsiven to their needs.

    He said the programme would assist farmers adopt new innovative methods of using Information and communication technologies (ICTs).

    To accelerate sustainable development, he said there was need for innovation platforms to foster a new development approach based on exploiting the potential of research institutes and faculties of agriculture to address problems and challenges faced by al farmers.

    He said the objective of WAAPP was to generate and disseminate improved technologies to farmers.

    He said the programme works through Adopted Villages of the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) and Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCAs).

    He said it offer farmers the opportunity for rapid growth by closing the gap between current and potential production and productivity.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Prof Emmanuel Kuche, said the university is determined to improve food production by reducing the gap between potential and actual production through wider use of the stock of knowledge and technologies.

    He said WAAPP would increase agricultural productivity and competitiveness.

    The university, he noted, is ready to work with WAAPP to fuel sustained agriculture-led growth strategy that would allow the country to meet its food needs.

    Dean Faculty of Agriculture,University of Uyo, Prof Ini Akpabio, said beginning farmers are critical to creating rural prosperity, but they face unique challenges and require education and assistance to ensure their profitability and sustainability.

    According to him, enhancing the ability of small farmers to access market opportunities and diversify their links with markets is one of the most pressing development challenges facing the country.

    He said the university was making cassava cakes and offering training to help farmers produce them.

  • ‘Soil vital to economic growth’

    AN understanding of the land can contribute to the economic development of the country, a professor of Soil Survey and Land Evaluation, Abayomi Fashina, has said.

    He spoke on the topic: Can this soil sustain? The dilemma of the pedologist at the 37th Inaugural Lecture of Ekiti State University (EKSU).

    Fashina, also a professor of Pedology, said the brownish substance is a resource waiting to be tapped into for the country’s economic growth.

    He noted the value of the soil to human existence, noting that the wealth of the soil started with God,who created the first human beings from soil and, thereafter, showed him that human existence depends on sound understanding of the soil.

    According to him, the soil fulfils some functions and services for society, which are central to social, economic and environmental sustainability. A few among these functions are ‘food and fibre production, support of ecological habitats and bio-diversity, protection of cultural heritage, provisions of raw materials and provision of a platform for construction.”

    However, the soil cannot do any of these by its own unless its proper utilisation is in effect. “And this is where proper understanding of the value of the soil becomes helpful,” he argued.

    On the value of soil to economic enhancement, Fashina said “Soil is a vulnerable and essentially non-renewable resource, which with proper handling of one hectare of top soil, the most productive soil layer, it can contain up to five tonnes of living organisms. This he said is because it can take more than 500years to form a mere 2cm thickness,” he informed the audience.

    “In fact, soil provides a large social function through providing the basis for green space, including gardens, playing fields and public open spaces. But, we humans often take for granted is the fact that these are social benefits that enhanced the well-being of every living being. It is in this light that soil plays a very important role in how people live. And this is why it is very important that we study and understand the value of soil to our daily lives.”

    He said the reasons for studying soils is because the substance is the flesh and blood of land and cannot be omitted from assessments of lands as a resource for human requirement be it agricultural or non-agricultural.

    “In this wise, the future of human existence continually rests on the soil beneath our feet, hence the need for its conservation at all costs,” argues the professor of soils.

    Looking at different classes of soil, Fashina said anyone wishing to grasp the import of the massive landscape, need to understand that one of the most serious problems affecting agricultural productivity, today in the tropical and developing countries such as Nigeria, is the ineffective and unplanned use of our agricultural lands.

    He stressed that it was necessary that every hectare of land is used according to its potential capacity if the objectivity of optimising and sustaining agricultural productivity is to be achieved.”

    He noted that for Nigeria to achieve optimal land usage, “the primary and most effective land conservation method is appropriate allocation of lands to uses for which they are most suitable. In addition to this, optimum soil condition is fundamental to successful and profitable agriculture venture; because while most kinds of soils can be put to industrial and urban uses, agricultural uses are very discriminating of the soil type.”

    “He said what Nigeria therefore needs to do is that, its prime soil should be reserved for agricultural uses. “Sadly however, when there is no information on the quality of the soils, occupying a piece of land and or regulation guiding the use of land for various purposes; the best agricultural lands of any nation will continue to be lost to the industrial, urban and other uses,” he said.

  • Cocoa farmers attack Ministry over solo pumps

    Cocoa farmers have protested the non-inclusion of solo pumps in the procurement notice advertised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    The farmers noted that solo pumps are effective, easier to manage, last longer and are environmentally friendly.

    According to Evangelist Joshua Oyedele, farmer and Vice President, Cocoa Association of Nigeria in Ondo/Ekiti states zone, more than 90 per cent of the cocoa farmers use solo pumps.

    He said the pump affords its users to target spray cocoa pods and disease spots on cocoa plants.

    He added that most cocoa trees in Nigeria were tall and the solo pump was the right spray equipment for achieving effective and efficient coverage of the plants.

    Ntufam Odi Ayangba, a farmer in Effraya in Cross River State stated that as an old cocoa farmer, he was not able to carry the 15-litre knapsack sprayer because of the weight.

    He said most cocoa farmers are old and cannot carry the knapsack sprayers.

    In his response, President of Cocoa Association of Nigeria, Mr Sayina Riman, said he had engaged the ministry’ s officials on the need to correct the anomaly without any positive response.

    He argued that officials were not conversant with farmers actual needs and were therefore unable to provide for them.

    Riman said lack of consultations with stakeholders caused this oversight, adding that over the years, various equipment and materials purchased for agriculture were left to rot because they were not required by those who were supposed to use them.

    The president expressed disappointment with the ministry for refusing to listen to the proposed users and procuring what they dont need.

  • Experts decry use of child labour on cocoa farms

    A Chocolate firm, Petra Foods, is working to stamp out perceived harsh labour practices and improve the quality of produce.

    Its Director, Cocoa Sustainability, Mr Marc Donaldson, said improved livelihood of farmers was crucial to a steady supply of quality, traceable beans.

    Donaldson,who was in the country for the Cocoa Productivity and Quality Programme (CPQP), said his company was interested on the safety of children used as labour on the farms.

    The company is working towards a cocoa supply chain where no children are subject to harsh conditions.

    His organisation, he said, would not accept the use of illegal, abusive or forced labour in any of the farms it is associated with. Donaldson said his organisation would help tackle child labour and improve working practices in the cocoa supply chain.

    He explained that his company monitors conditions on farms, which will be certified to give buyers assurance that the “worst forms of child labour” have not been employed.

    So far, he said there was no evidence of the use of child labourers in farms in the country.

    Donaldson said his organisation was working with the Farmers Development Union (FADU) in Oyo State with some global partners in fair trade to ensure local farmers produce quantities of cocoa required by major manufacturers.

    He said FADU has promoted the social and economic development of the cocoa-farming communities through improvements in farming practices that drive higher productivity and better quality in a sustainable, traceable manner.

    His organisation with other global partners ,he said were are working with FADU to ensure through certification that farms did not employ abusive practices, adding that sourcing cocoa for the international markets remain a safe means of buying in bulk.

    Six parties have committed themselves for four years to raise cocoa production and make it sustainable. About 7,500 cocoa farmers are to be trained to obtain the UTZ Certificate and will be raising their production from 300 to 1,000 kilos a hectare.

    FADU is a signatory to the agreement. Those involved in the programme include Continaf, a Dutch importer of cocoa and coffee, and Oxfam Novib’s partners.

    FADU is an organisation of small-scale male and female farmers. Oxfam Novib supports FADU in developing a credit system for farmers and in improving their position on the market. FADU and Oxfam Novib will also be working on preventing child labour in cocoa production,.

    FADU’s Programme Coordinator, ,Mr Victor Olowe, said it was essential to tackle poverty, adding that the organisation would support the long-term future of sustainable cocoa production and make a difference among farmers and the communities that rely on cocoa for their livelihoods.

    Head of Sales and Sustainability, Continaf BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Mr Arjen Thiescheffer, said following their training, the farmers achieved UTZ certification, adding that the increased incomes benefit farmers who invest in other projects in their community.

    Managing Director, Continaf Nigeria Limited, Vineet Chaudhary, said his organisation was working as part of the global cocoa and chocolate industry alongside governments, NGOs and international organisations to bring about positive and sustainable change to the way cocoa is grown and harvested throughout the country.

    The Project Manager, Kokodola Project, Mrs Mopelola Fafunmi said CPQP known as Kokodola Project started its operation in seven local government areas of Osun State.

    The project,she said is to create a sustainable and efficient value chain for certified cocoa to improve the lives of cocoa farmers.

    She said the four-year project started fully in April last year in Osun State where 1788 farmers were trained on good farm practices.

  • NDDC’s agric revolution

    NDDC’s agric revolution

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is returning to the land in developing the nine states comprising the agency. It is also empowering indigenes of the states to till the land under its agriculture enhancement programme. NNEKA NWANERI reports.

    In the fifties and sixties, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy. The regions then had commodities which generated revenue for them at the international market. The Western Region had cocoa; North, groundnut; East, coal and Midwest, rubber. Everything changed with the discovery of oil. The wealth that came from oil made the country to dump agriculture.

    We are paying the price for our action today. With the fear that oil may soon dry up, reality has suddenly dawned on the country on the need to diversify the economy.

    Many countries, among them Israel, have since seen the potentials in agriculture. Israel earns $714 million yearly from food export, while Nigeria spends billion of naira on imports.

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is tapping from Israel’s agricultural prowess for the benefit of its member states. The Israeli Embassy is collaborating with the NDDC to rejuvenate and modernise agricultural practices in the oil-producing region. The commission is also working in conjunction with other stakeholders in its efforts to reactivate the agricultural potentials of Niger Delta and empower farmers.

    The commission has procured over 100 tractors for distribution to the ministries of agriculture in the nine Niger Delta states to boost food production. NDDC Managing Director Dr. Christian Oboh told reporters at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, that for Nigeria to tackle youth unemployment and be self-sufficient in food production, the country has to go into mechanised farming.

    He said: “We have realised the need to fast-track the process of getting our youths to be properly engaged and also to ensure that we play our role in the transformation agenda of Mr. President especially in boosting agriculture. In this vein, NDDC has acquired over 100 tractors to support various ministries of agriculture in the nine states of the region to boost food production.  These tractors will be distributed to cooperative societies or individuals who are ready to go into full time farming.”

    The commission also facilitated the training of eleven agricultural engineers in mechanised farming. The beneficiaries were trained in India on tractor maintenance and operation and are now at the core of the commission’s mechanised agro-development plan across the region. Oboh described the engineers as worthy ambassadors whose knowledge would strengthen the N1 billion revolving loan scheme the commission initiated for Niger Delta farmers in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture.

    He talked about NDDC’s determination to pursue programmes that would boost agriculture to make it compete with the oil sector as a major economic base in the region. He urged the beneficiaries of the training to use their skills and knowledge to further contribute to the development of agriculture in the region.

    Mr Ene-Ita Ene Okpo and his colleagues who benefited from the training said they were grateful for the opportunity given them by the NDDC. He said they would put their experience into practice. “Our training was fruitful and rewarding, we were trained at the Research and Development Centre on how to dismantle and couple various kinds of tractors. We were exposed to the best practices in mechanised farming,” he said. Another beneficiary, Edikan Eshiet said they had a “very challenging period in India,” adding that with the experience gained, they were better equipped to handle tractors and other farming equipment.

    NDDC’s Director, Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Godspower Amadi said the training arose from the need to train the staff who will further train others on tractor maintenance and operation. He said mechanised agriculture would enhance food production and create jobs for the youths. The director said the specialised training was part of efforts to boost food production through mechanised farming in the Niger Delta, noting that the NDDC had previously donated 27 tractors to the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) group, for delivery to farmer cooperatives in their respective host communities.

    Amadi said in 2011, the NDDC flagged off the first phase of its Agricultural Credit Scheme meant to touch the lives of 1,660 youths from 166 cooperatives in the Niger Delta. He said N500 million was set aside as cash security deposit for the take off of the first phase of the scheme while N304 million was remitted to the Bank of Agriculture for the second phase of the programme.

    According to him, the programme is also in line with the commission’s policy on agricultural development which emphasises wealth and job creation, food security and poverty reduction. The scheme, he said, was designed for Niger Delta youths, women and men who have been trained in various agricultural skills at the Songhai Delta, Amukpe, a reputable training institution in Delta State. The scheme, which is aimed at training youths in Niger Delta in various aspects of agriculture, took off in January 2008. The NDDC said it has trained over 6,500 youths of the region in various agricultural practices at Songhai.

    “All NDDC Agric Skills graduates who have formed themselves into cooperative societies and have met necessary criteria for the credit scheme are encouraged to exercise patience for subsequent phases,” Amadi said.

    He said the commission had so far trained 11,000 youths in various agricultural skills, out of which 1,100 are members of various cooperatives. He charged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the scheme, adding: “This programme, if properly embraced by you, shall bring about accelerated social economic transformation of the Niger Delta.”

    The commission has promised to increase food supply by building rice processing mills across the oil producing states to produce rice in commercial quantity. Amadi said: “We started commercial rice farming as far back as 2007 with nine pilot farms in the region. Our giant rice processing plant at EleleAlimini in Rivers State will soon start churning out tonnes of high quality rice.”

  • Plantation owners insist on palm oil import tariff

    Plantation owners insist on palm oil import tariff

    Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria (POFON) has called on the Federal Government to retain the 35 per cent tariff duty on the importation of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) to save the local industry.

    Its Executive Secretary, Mr Fatai Afolabi, told reporters in Lagos that the group is disturbed by reports of concession and waivers being granted to traders to import CPO and refined products.

    This, he said, was done despite all the tariff and the president’s assurance in the budget not to grant concession and waiver to import commodities which the country could produce.

    Urging manufacturers to explore the untapped resources in the palm oil market, Afolabi said the sector could become more productive, if the multinationals and Asian companies join plantation owners on planting.

    The manufacturers accused some foreigner of working with some individuals within the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment to clear the way for the CPO to enter the country and become an emerging market for vegetable oil in Africa and the world.

    Nigerians must know what the government’s policy is on the importation of palm oil what its plans are to ensure that billions of naira invested in oil palm plantation by Okomu Plc, Presco Plc, Dansa Agro Plantations Limited, Real Plantation, A and Hatman, Siat Nigeria Limited, IMC Limited, JB Farms Limited, Saturn Farms, and Aden River are not wasted.

    In the past few months, he said companies have refused to buy CPO from local producers, adding: “Their claim is that it is cheaper for them to buy palm oil from the international market.

    “But analysts have computed the variables and discovered that it is impossible for these companies to get CPO at the international market at the prevailing international market price, pay for shipping of the bulky commodity and pay the full 35 per cent duty on it and still get it cheaper than the local market price of CPO.

    “The only way their claim to obtain palm oil from the international market at a cheaper price than the local market can be correct is if they are short paying the government in the area of import duties and levies.”

    He said tariff reduction would be of no use, describing it as part of a grand design to stifle local palm oil production.

    Afolabi said Nigeria could afford to expose itself to sabotage by competitors. The country, he said, must follow the protectionist path of Indonesia and Malaysia. “It is certain that the Malaysia’s CPO tariff is set to undermine the Nigerian Oil PalmTransformation Agenda. In the circumstance, the most appropriate response by Nigeria is to reinstitute the ban on importation of CPO,” he said.

    He warned that if cheap and low quality palm oil is dumped in Nigeria, the rural economy would suffer and that Nigeria’s natural resources and biodiversity would be affected.

    He said: “The dumping of cheap and unfortified palm oil in Nigeria also has implication for the oil palm component of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the present administration.”

  • Minister: armed sea robbery threatens fishing

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumni Adesina, has decried the wave of armed sea robbery on the coastal waters, saying the problem is threatening the fisheries subsector.

    Adesina spoke at the National Marine Fisheries Stakeholders Conference on Armed Sea Robbery organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Lagos.

    The conference was attended by 81 stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including the Ambassador of Vietnam, the Nigerian Trawlers Owners Association (NITOA), men of the Nigerian Navy, Ministry of Defence Headquarters Marine Police, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Immigration Service, Lagos State Department of Fisheries and Cooperatives, Federal Department of Fisheries, Non-Governmental Organisations, Gentlemen of the Press, among others.

    In his keynote address delivered by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ibukun Odusote, Adesina said apart from foreign exchange earnings, the fisheries sector contributes a lot to the economy, including food and nutrition security, income and employment generation and poverty alleviation.

    He lamented that apart from killing and inflicting serious injuries on crew members, valuable items such as fish and shrimp products, communication and navigation equipment worth several millions of Naira had been carted away by the sea pirates.

    Furthermore, he said over 400 fishing and shrimp vessels had been attacked since 2002 while 120 shrimp vessels were attacked by sea pirates and robbers from January last year to date.

    He stressed that the socio-economic cost of armed sea robbery and other vices scared new investors due to increased risk factor in investing in the country, adding that it led to decrease in fish production and retrenchment of workers, just as foreign exchange earnings from the sector had dropped with reduction in the number of fishing vehicles from 250 in 2009 to 122 this year.

    Adesina urged the participants to work out effective ways of tackling armed sea robbery challenges facing the fishing industry.

    He assured that his ministry was making efforts at addressing the issue. For instance, he said two Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) stations were being established in Lagos and Calabar, six patrol vessels had been procured, sensitisation campaign against sea piracy intensified and was collaborating with regional and international bodies to checkmate the activities of sea pirates.

  • Prices of agro-chemicals, seeds rise

    The prices of herbicides and seeds have gone up by about 20 per cent in Kaduna as the rainy season commences, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    A visit to some of dealers selling agriculture chemicals at the Kaduna Central Market indicated that the prices of herbicides such as roundup, atrisin and gramazone had risen from about N750 to as much as N1,050. Also, a two kilogramme bag of maize and guinea corn seeds now sale for N550 from the previous price of N450 before the rainy season, while that of soya beans has risen from N400 to N600.

    Mallam Musa said the Organising Secretary, Agro-Chemical Dealers Association in Kaduna State, attributed the increase to high demand.

    “We are having very high patronage, it is not about inadequate supply. It is a normal situation during the rainy season to have this slight increase,” he said.

    According to him, the demand is usually more than the supply at the beginning of the rainy season and this often leads to scarcity of the farm inputs.

    Musa said members of the association were not involved in the e-wallet programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

    He explained that even though some of the members were requested to open bank accounts for inclusion into the programme this year, “there is no response up till now”.

    The organising secretary expressed fears that the selection of dealers for the Growth Enhancement Service Scheme “may have been politicised.”