Mr. Joe Okojie, Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture, who assumed office some weeks back, unveiled his plans for the ministry while playing host to the 11th Supervision Mission of the Rural Finance Institution Building (RUFIN) programme in Benin, Edo State capital, reports Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf
Rural farmers in Edo State got over N1.2billion as loan disbursement from the Rural Finance Institution Building (RUFIN) programme. How does that make you feel?
When you say N1.2billion, it will appear as if it was disbursed at once. But the amount from the record I have has been disbursed since 2010 at the inception of the programme on a revolving basis. So, it is not as if it was just disbursed at once. But be that as it may, I think I feel very encouraged that there are facilities out there that our people at the grassroots level, who ordinarily won’t have access to credit, can now have access to it so that they can use in their various small scale farms in order to increase their productivity. So for me, that’s a step in the right direction.
What strategies do you have in place to ensure that the programme is sustained given the fact that the programme is wrapping up next year?
First of all, I must commend the RUFIN team for doing their part. It’s a programme I that I think is worthy of note and going forward, we as a government, we have a responsibility to cater for our people. What we have to do as a government is to take ownership of the programme and continue to make sure that our people, especially those at the grassroots level continue to have access to resources to improve in their farm and in their productivity in general.
RUFIN is a programme through which help and relief can be given to people at the grassroots. That is why when I took over office, I took interest in the project and I made itý my project. I’m doing my best so that, we as a government will fulfill our own end of the project. I promise you that we will do the needful and will do more to take ownership of the programme when RUFIN is gone. My hope is that, going forward, we will have better synergy so that we are able to deliver on our promises.
Farmers in Edo State like their counterparts across the federation look up to government for one assistance or the other. As the Commissioner for Agric, what’s your agenda for farmers in your state?
Well, for me, the farmers are my primary constituency in the state and I will do whatever I can consciously do to deliver on my deliverables. And my deliverable is to make sure that we help them to pursue their goals in whatever we can.
The state government is yet to make its commitment as far as the counterpart funding of the RUFIN programme is concerned. Can you bring us up to speed on what is being done in that regard?
We’re aware of the challenges and we’re willing to do whatever we can to address the challenges. Edo state is an agrarian state with over 65 per cent of the residents here involved in one form of agriculture or the other. So agriculture is very key and we’re willing to do whatever we can to encourage people in agriculture, especially at the grassroots. That’s why we take particular interest and liking for RUFIN programme given the fact that the programme is directed at people at the grassroots. When I first came back into the country and saw the way things were going, a situation where you have people at the grassroots not been catered for, I told myself that if we continue on this path, a time will come when we will no longer be able to protect the very few rich because we have not made provisions for the very many poor. So, my quest was to make sure that the gap and divide was addressed and I think coming on board, I found that through the RUFIN programme we can channel help to the poor and needy in the society. So, naturally I took interest in the project and I have made it my project ever since.
One of the challenges that confront smallholder farmers is the challenge of preserving their produce. What scheme does the state has in place to assist in that regard?
Concerning the issue of preservation, just last week we looked at an array of things that can help farmers to preserve their harvest and be able to optimise it. We’re looking at the silos we have to see how we can refurbish them so that some of these farmers can take advantage of the silos to preserve whatever it is they’re going to harvest.
However, that’s just one of the measures. But we’re considering the suggestions and innovations that came up last week and we’re looking at them. My hope is that we’ll make the best use of the opportunity in the shortest possible time. So we’re still evaluating what will work in this environment.
In the past, the state partnered with foreign investors to grow the agric base. Are you still open to such collaboration?
We’re still talking to a lot of investors. As we speak l’m scheduled to have an appointment with some investors. We’re targeting new investors and we hope to give them incentives to encourage them to come and invest in the state. We’re determined to make Edo State an investment haven.
Can you be specific on the revenue projections from these new investments?
Don’t you think it would be dangerous to count your chickens before they are hatched? (Laughs).
Another challenge farmers contend with is how to add value to their produce in terms of processing, etc. What is the state government doing to help in this area?
I must admit there are infrastructural deficit. But considering the time I have, if I embark on building infrastructure now, it will be difficult to achieve that. However, our plan is that we want to be able to put the state on the path of growth by setting medium and long term goals. But in the interim, we’re looking at short term goals, which is to help farmers reach their productivity and help them with access to the market. If you go to the rural areas, you will see that what the Comrade Governor has done is to pave roads through farm communities so that farmers will be able to take their produce to the market.
That’s the first thing. In that regard, you will agree with me that we have been able to build infrastructure across various communities to ease the transportation of produce to the market. In the short term, we have achieved one key deliverables. I’m sure our medium term would be to add value by setting up processing plants. But let me say here and now that it is not going to be done in my tenure unless you want me to lie to you and l’m not going to lie to you. If sit down here and tell l’m going to that in my tenure, l will be lying to you. It’s not just possible because even more l desire it, time will not permit me.
What l will concentrate on are things we can achieve in the short run that can increase the productivity of the farmers such as the RUFIN programme that gives direct credit access to the farmers and that’s why we’re not leaving any stone unturned in our quest to ensure the programme succeeds. Why I have decided to take ownership of it and do whatever I can to make sure that we sustain it and the state takes over so that our farmers can continue to have access to improve on their productivity.
