Agriculture
Ex-Minister, Firm Okay FG’s Agric Policies
The former Minister of
Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Michael Aondoakaa, last Monday, rated the Federal Government’s agricultural policies as the best since the inception of the country.
Aondoakaa stated this while fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja on the sidelines of the official launch of the 2014 Dry Season Farm Support programme.
“For somebody to say nothing is being done in agriculture, to me, it is strange; since the beginning of this country, this is best agric policy; anybody who says contrary will have to give reasons.
‘’As a participant in agriculture, and I have been part of government before, I have never seen a well focused and a more articulated policy than that of this government.’’
The former minister said the present Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda had increased the number of integrated mills in the country from one to 15, through the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme.
‘’The policies are well defined and straight forward and we that are in the processing industry, we are seeing the reality of the programme.
“Without the Commercial Credit Scheme, we could not have had the new processing mills that have come up; before this government, we had just one integrated mill, but today we have 15 of them.
“By the end of this year, five more will be commissioned, bringing it to a total of 20 integrated mills with a combined annual capacity of about 1.2 million tonnes of rice.’’
Aondoakaa noted that the policies had come to stay, saying that the stakeholders in the sector were part of the process that evolved it.
In a separate interview, the Managing Director, Elephant Group, Mr Tunji Owoye, noted that this administration had recorded huge reduction in rice smuggling into the country.
The Tide reports that the Elephant Group is involved in the production and importation of rice into the country, to fill the gap in local production.
Owoye said due to the approach of the Federal Government to find solutions to problems bedevilling the agriculture sector, policies put in place had forced smugglers to divert the embargoed goods to other African countries.
The managing director noted that the Elephant Group, being one of the three largest importers of rice, had since gone into rice production, due to the support of the government to the sector.
He disclosed that about 40 per cent of members of the group had started to cultivate rice for consumption.
He predicted that within the next four years, rice importation would become history in the country, if the Agricultural Transformation Agenda policy was consistently and meticulously implemented.
Owoye urged all stakeholders to ensure the success of the agricultural policy for the benefit of the nation.
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”.
