Agriculture
Farmer Cautions Land Sellers
A farmer, Mr Innocent
Oyeni, has called on land sellers to have a rethink while selling off fresh water Lands as it is capable of depriving them of fresh water deposits.
Oyeni, a yam farmer from Afam in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, who stated this while speaking to our correspondent in Port Harcourt, Monday, said the assault on poor communities land was coming from more than one front.
According to him, rich countries were moving to other countries, especially in the West African sub-region to acquire land to enable them grow foods to meet their own local demand.
He said such development has resulted in negative land grabs with the attendant rights abuses as indigenous people were disposed of their land to enable such international land speculators fulfil their biofuel ambitions.
He said reports have it that middle East countries seeking food security have a huze presence in some sub-Saharan Africa to leave lands to grow food crops for their own people.
Explaining further he said there were indications to show that some powerful Nigerians were being drawn into the race for land grabbing.
According to a report obtained by our correspondent from Global Corp Ltd, the Chief Executive Officer of the company Mr Enbong Jamie Idiong, said “Nigeria has the terrain to provide 100 per cent of Gulf’s food needs.”
According to the report, Nigeria has around 71.2 million hectares of farmland with less than 50 per cent under utilised.
Commenting on such indices, Oyeni said there was need for the country to fully utilise the available land to enable investors export back 100 per cent of the crop and create employment opportunities for people of Nigeria.
According to reliable industry sources, during the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua regime, the former Minister for Agriculture, Abba Ruma and his Attorney General and Minister of Justice counterpart, Michael Aondoakaa discussed issues of leasing farmlands to the Gulf states.
While our correspondent further gathered that the discussion were inconclusive due to Yar’Adua’s demise, there are also reports that First Trustee an arm of First Bank PLC was involved in a $1.8 billion farmland leave deal between Nigeria and United Arab Emirates.
According to Oyeni, stakeholders should rise against such moves that has come to be known in industry circles as “Arabs land grabs”.
Explaining further, the farmer said if the campaign was sustained, it could degenerate into another colonisation without arms but Africans themselves selling their countries willingly.
He argued that there was serious under investment in the agricultural sector even as he said over 80 per cent of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country was in oil, gas and telecoms.
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”.
