FG Moves to Enhance Genuine Farmers’ Access to Agro-input Interventions

James Emejo in Abujas

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator, Abubakar Kyari, has said the availability of credible farmers’ data and accurately geo-referenced farmlands are germane and key to the federal government’s support for farmers across the country. 

The minister said this was to ensure that agro-inputs get to real farmers who have the requisite hectarage to cultivate. 

By implication, only genuine farmers, especially the smallholders are expected to get input support from the government going forward, he said. 

He said gone are the days when genuine farmers would be at the mercy of portfolio farmers who hijack agro-inputs and later round-trip to the economic detriment of genuine farmers.

Kyari spoke over the weekend at separate meetings with the Governor of   Ekiti State, Mr. Abiodun Oyebanji, and his Kebbi State counterpart, Mohammed Nasir Idris, both of who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, as part of efforts to achieve the food security agenda of the present administration.

He said, “There is no doubt that the collective steps we are taking to boost food production, reduce food inflation, and more assuredly guarantee our national food security, are matters of urgent engagement that require increased inter-governmental interactions.

“In November of 2023, we flagged off the Wheat Dry Season Farming across 15 states that are in the wheat-producing belt of the country. 

“As a reminder,  the flag-off was intended to ensure that we rely less on rain-fed agricultural production during the wet season, and instead have all-year round farming.”

The minister said in addition to boosting the volumes of crops cultivated, taking advantage of both dry and wet season farming will increase job opportunities, reduce poverty, de-escalate food inflation.

He said these would further enhance inclusivity, which are goals highlighted in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Specially, the minister said the agricultural landscape of Ekiti  had experienced notable and some unprecedented achievements since Oyebanji’s administration came into office especially in the area of land preparation to open up more cultivable land for the farming populace.

He said the Ekiti State Youth in Agriculture Programme was already creating jobs and wealth for the teaming youths in the state, including various interventions in provision of inputs for the farmers in the production of crops and other agricultural value chains alike.

He said the federal government was further ready to collaborate and partner with the state in recognition of these efforts and consequent upon your “efforts evident in the mobilisation of farmers and other resource available at the state level towards the Renewed Hope for Food Security Agenda of the federal government.”

 Responding, Oyebanji said commended the minister for openly admitting the incident of round-tripping and taking steps to address it in order to enhance access of genuine farmers to agro-input palliatives by the federal government.

Among other things, he called for the federal government’s assistance in providing tractors to aid the state’s mechanisation drive.

Similarly, the minister said

Kebbi remained one of the states chosen for the dry season farming across irrigable farmlands. 

He said despite some of the initial glitches, it is reassuring that the state government took necessary critical steps, such as land preparation, and facilitation of tubular irrigation, to enable the cultivation of wheat under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) project. 

He said, “We are also aware that your government has supported farmers with additional fertilizers and other inputs and provided funds for commodity associations towards boosting agricultural productivity in the state.”

Idris said the state had distributed N2.8 billion worth of fertilizer at no cost to farmers since the inception of his administration as well as committed N5 billion to agriculture and food security.

He, among other things, assured that if given the need support, Kebbi is able to feed the country, adding that 320 trucks of assorted grains had been provided to farmers to return to their farms.