By Nenge Liam-Markurdi
Recently
400 registered fish farmers benefitted
in the distribution of 500 juveniles each and 50% subsidized fish feeds of 15kg
(5 bags) at N12, 500 as against the market price of N5, 000, 00 under GES
scheme. Added to this, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (FMARD) is to train and offer free expert services to the fish
farmers on best management practices that will enhance increase productivity
and production.
On the
occasion, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture noted that Nigeria is
shifting from subsistence farming to Agriculture as a business. The minister
told fish farmers to take farming as a business so as to boost not only their
income but that of the country’s exports’ drive.
Represented
by the Acting State Director of Agriculture, Dr. Obute Godwin Garba who
disclosed further that the federal Government had a compensation programme for
fish folks who lost their stock and farm equipment as a result of the
devastating 2012 flood, reiterating Government’s resolve to restore the protein
gap caused by the ill result of the flood.
Benue State
commissioners for Agriculture Mr. Donald .A. Gbugho frowned at the way people
now obtain resources from land and water, causing irreversible changes that are
degrading the natural processes that support life on earth.
The
commissioner appealed to fishermen to therefore desist from the use of
obnoxious fishing practice to stop our rivers and lakes from running out of
fishes thereby advised farmers who are beneficiaries of A T A to make judicious
use of the inputs and avoid the temptation of selling them off for peanuts.
Two of the
beneficiaries Messrs Peter T. Penda of
CTI Ranch opposite NITEL Makurdi and Xtopher Ibier were full of commendation
for the Federal Government’s agricultural policy and assured that in the next
4-6 months when the fishes mature, they hope to generate between 400,000
-600,000 Naira while appealed to
Government at all levels to support the fishing industry with fishing nets,
boats and canoes among others.
With over
800,000 registered farmers in the state under (GES) who are into farming of
yams, cassava, beniseed, soy-beans, guava, tomatoes, pepper, cotton,
vegetables, poultry, ginger, fish, livestock, oranges, okro cashews,potatoes
and several species of mangoes. Over 120 co-operatives have also registered
under the All Farmers Association of Nigeria; the body co-coordinating all the
farmers in the state. While majority of these farmers are into small scale
farming, a few others are mechanized.
What is
naturally sufficient at the disposal of Benue farmers is the fertile soil which
thrives and generates high yields even without the application of incentives
and scientific inputs like fertilizer and herbicides among others.
Apart from
being blessed with arable land, the state can boast of Major Rivers with River
Benue, Katsina Ala and Gwer and many other tributaries here and there is
also Lake Aketa where fishing has become a tourist event.
In spite of
these God given Agricultural features, the farmers in the state require
Government intervention to move to the next level.
Till the
introduction of the Federal Government’s Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) it was
always difficult for farmers in the state to access farming input especially
fertilizer. The Agricultural reforms introduced by the Minister of
Agricultural,Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina has really impacted positively on the
farming families in the state. Improved varieties of maize, cassava, rice,
water pumps, sprayers, treated sacks fingerlings and feeds were either freely
distributed or given to Benue Farmers at subsidized rates under the
Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA)
No comments:
Post a Comment