Agriculture
Government Agriculture Projects: How Sustainable?
Governments in Nigeria
at various levels and at different times as one could remember has committed money, materials and other resources for the development of the agricultural sector with nothing to show for it till date.
Many today are of the view that government has no business wasting money on agricultural ventures while another school of thought say that so far, there has been no positive political will from the operators towards policy formulation and implementation in terms of sustainability of the process.
Unarguably at present, the story of food availability and security across the country is anything but pathetic.
For example, shortly after the Nigeria Civil war, the then head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon while embarking on his reconstruction and rehabilitation campaign, introduced the National Accelrated Food Production Programme, NAFPP, a venture which did not put sufficient food on the tables of majority of Nigerians.
Again when Olusegun Obasanjo came on board shortly after the assassination of Murtala Mohammed, he equally introduced the Operation Feed the Nation, (OFN) scheme which is equally history today.
When Shehu Shagari emerged as the first democratically elected civilian President in 1979, he floated the Green Revolution Programme, (GRP) or do we mention the Buhari/Idiagbon’s Go Back to Land Programme and later the Directorate for Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructures Programme (DFRI) of Ibrahim Babangida.
Regrettably, the stories of all these government laudable agricultural programmes as it were then, all went down and out only to be relegated to what may be described today as bad history.
Interestingly, just on the heels of the Buhari and Idiagbon’s Go Back To Land Programme, the Rivers State government under Fidelis Oyakhilome, then a police commissioner identified the problem of food shortage in the country as a whole and the state in particular and decided to take the bull by the horns in that direction.
Oyakhilome who at that time considered food availability a critical factor in the state went ahead and established the school to land agricultural programme in 1985.
However, the whole idea was to radically redress the alarming and rising cost of food bills among the people of the state and beyond, as he was not mindful of the likelihood of food sufficiency in the state creating markets and attracting neighbours from nearby states.
Unfortunately, this laudable programme hit the rocks few years after it took off as failed to make any meaningful impact as was intended vis-a—vis the employment openings it sought to provide for the teeming young school leavers in the state.
As the years rolled by, successive administrations came and played their part and left the authority not better as they met it.
For example, when the pioneer chairman of the outfit, Mr. Boniface Okwakpam was incharge, the programme recorded a sizable number of trainee farmers among the young school leavers which of course the programme was actually meant for.
Just under three years from take off, between 1985 and 1987, records from the authority reveal that the number of engaged young agriculturists stood at 4,395 with a recorded drop numerically as the years went by.
By 1987 when Okwakpam left the number of intakes has dropped from 1,360 to a mere 200 by the end of 1988.
Today, to state that the programme was only existing in name alone could be said to be an under statement as it has become clear that the ideals for which the founding father(s) established it has long been defeated.
According to Deacon Reuben Arugu who was chairman of the authority in 2003, the mandate of the authority basically was within the framework of recruiting young school leavers of Rivers State Origin in modern corps, livestock and fish farming and to settle the trained farmers on lands and facilities acquired by the government in their various local government areas.
Deacon Rueben even expressed regret then, that the exercise progressed only uptil 1998 and that in 2003 the authority had a staff strength of 115 made up 92 directly recruited and 23 on secondment from the ministry of agriculture and health respectively.
Today in what could be described as a bold and radical step intended to galvanize the agricultural sector for greater productivity and activity, the Rivers State government under the leadership of Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi in 2007 set up the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency, (RSSDA).
The agencies four key drivers which include ensuring that its projects were in order to leverage additional expertise, identifying and creating services to markets for goods and services and to ensure that every project was not only profit oriented but beneficial to the greatest number of people.
One of the critical mandates of the RSSDA is the development and sustenance of the agro-allied potentials of the state.
To this end, the Agency has built the Songhai Farm at Tai Local Government Area under the Songhai Rivers Initiative to strategically serve as the hub for all agricultural ventures in the state.
According to records obtained from the RSSDA, its farms were intended to serve as a centre of excellence for enterprise training and transfer of skills to local farmers and research into agricultural techniques and varieties.
The farm reputed to sit on an 314 hectres of land is reportedly engaging over half of the 104 Songhai trained Rivers youth specialised in various agricultural and agro-based skills and vocations.
Also, it is hoped that the agricultural programes of the RSSDA through the Rivers State Cassava Initiative was an intervention specifically designed to jump-start a market driven supply chain for rural farmers.
The initiative does not only target 20,000 farmers but also intends to transform the rural cassava farmers into commercial income generating entrepreneurs by in creating their cassava yields from 10 tonnes to over 20 tonnes for hectre.
Expectedly also, in order to enhance food production, the Integrated Regional Farm Centres located in six regional farms of the RSSDA would go into massive employment creation and the development of small and medium scale enterprises in agriculture and the agro- allied sector.
Perhaps, for one to fully and properly appreciate what was on ground at the Songhai Rivers Farm Initiative Programme, a visit to the cenutre would be more revealing.
The production centre at the farm which boasts of a great number of facilities includes the piggery unit, grasscutter unit, cow and goat ranch, concrete and artificial lake fish ponds, green house, cassava and rice processing mills, poultry unit and plantain and rice farms among others.
From the foregoing, it could be seen that the Rivers State government has committed a huge chunks of the people money into this gigantic farm project which naturally of course brings to the fore the big question of maintenance and sustainability which has been our collective albatross towards infrastructural development”.
No wonder, during the facilities tour of the farm by the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria union of Journalists (NUJ), to mark its 2011 press week, the Chairman, Mr. Opaka Dokubo expressed this fear when he asked the founder of Songhai, Father Godfrey Nzamujo if the project would not fail when he and his partners leave in two years time.
However, laudable as the Songhai Rivers Initiative could be, government should not lose sight of the fact that without accountability and the application of expertise by engaging competent and credible personnel, the RSSDA project may go the way of others.
It is imperative therefore for the government to focus attention more on the development of the rural people who grow most of the food everybody eats on a daily basis
According to a top government official in the Rivers State Ministry of agriculture, who asked not to be named, it was better to empower the rural farmers instead of establishing large hectres of plantain, palm oil and other related farms that have no bearing on the lives of the people at the grassroots.
He said if government deals directly with the subsistence farmers in relation to giving them soft loans and not through the rigors co-operatives, the people would be happy as food would always be available and with increase in yield, they can send their children to school and even build their own houses”, he reasoned.
Armed with the above scenario, government has the choice of learning from the past demises of various agricultural programmes that were embarked upon by past administrations with a view to looking backward on the challenges of the past and consolidating and improving on the future in any agricultural programme it might embark on as we march into 2012.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.
The Niger State Government has mapped out 10,000 hectares of farmland in Gbapo Community of Katcha Local Government Area of the State for smallholder farmers to benefit from the state government’s agricultural intervention programme.
Two thousand out of the 10,000 holders of the farmlands have already received inputs.
At a flag-off ceremony in Yinti Village, the facilitator of the programme, Shinkafan Nupe, Malam Idris Usman Makanta, assured the farmers of increased distributions to the mapped-out ten thousand (10,000) farmlands if farmers respond positively.
He explained that the commencement of the two thousand is to measure the positive response of farmers before obtaining full-scale support.
Malam Makanta stated that this initiative aligns with the farmers’ initial commitment through Niger Foods, whose mission is primarily geared towards establishing efficient and profitable agricultural businesses to support the present administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s quest to boost agricultural productivity in the state.
He also commended Niger Foods for their steadfastness and resilience in the effective implementation of the input financing scheme.
Makanta reiterated the commitment of the State Governor in making judicious use of the arable land in the state.
Shinkafan Nupe, therefore, urged the farmers to support the Governor by using the inputs wisely so that the dream can be actualised.
The Gombe State Government has empowered a total of 573,429 farmers and entrepreneurs under the 4th phase of the GO-CARES programme.
The programme was officially flagged off by Governor Inuwa Yahaya in another major step towards alleviating poverty and supporting the state’s vulnerable populations.
The Governor, while inaugurating the disbursement in Akko Community of Akko Local Government Area, restated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of vulnerable citizens in the state.
He was represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Salihu Baba Alkali, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee on GO- CARES implementation.
“The 4th phase of GO-CARES will directly and indirectly impact a total of 573,429 citizens across the state. Of these, 152,429 individuals will benefit directly through cash transfers, livelihood grants, agricultural inputs, and operational grants to small businesses”, he stated.
The Governor added that, “421,000 people will be indirect beneficiaries through infrastructural projects such as classroom blocks, healthcare facilities, WASH services, and rural infrastructure projects like culverts and drainages”.
Yahaya, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the state’s most vulnerable citizens are not left behind in the state’s development.
According to him, “Earlier this year, on June 25, 2024, we flagged off the distribution of improved seedlings, fertilizers, and herbicides to less privileged farmers in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area, signaling the commencement of the 4th phase implementation of GO-CARES under Result Area 2”.
The Governor reiterated that these initiatives have had a significant impact on the livelihoods of beneficiaries and the overall agricultural sector.
He explained that, “Today’s ceremony marked the simultaneous launch of activities under all three GO-CARES Result Areas for the 4th phase. These areas include: State Cash Transfer Grants: 2,500 direct beneficiaries; Labour Intensive Public Works: 2,700 direct beneficiaries; Livelihood Grants: 10,000 direct beneficiaries; and Basic Services: 405,000 indirect beneficiaries”.
