In
a bid to drive increased development of the sector and well being of
the local players, the National President of the Agriculture and Allied
Employees’ Union of Nigeria (AAEUN), Comrade Simon Anchaver, has called
on the Buhari administration to focus more on mechanized farming by
improving on the funding of the National Centre for Agricultural
Mechanisation (NCAM).
He stated
this in Ilorin during the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) Trade
Group forum and courtesy visit to the centre headed by Engr. Ikechukwu
Azogu, the Executive Director.
Anchaver
commented on the need to increase the funding of Nigeria’s foremost
mechanization institution, considering the agricultural sector’s
strategic role in the 21st century agro-driven economy.
“The
leadership at NCAM needs more encouragement and proper funding by the
federal government to enable it record more successes and be able to
help in repositioning the country’s status on the food production index
table among the committee of Nations.
“Oil
prices instability and economic meltdown being experienced
intermittently by even First World Nations is forcing global leaders to
prioritize agriculture and our own President Muhammadu Buhari cannot
afford to miss out on this juicy opportunity to revive agriculture so
that it can be the new driver of our growing economy,” he said.
Furthermore,
he urged for the revival of all the 37 Agricultural Development
Programmes (ADPs) and also join hands with the state governors to
adequately provide the requirements of the ADPs.
Describing
ADPs as the engine room for the attainment of food security in Nigeria,
the National Chairman of ADP Trade Group Forum, Comrade Jibril Abdul
Nggada, stated however that the ADPs were confronted with a lot of
challenges which hinder their effectiveness. The problems, he said,
include poor counterpart funding and shortage of field staff.
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