Agric Economy: Can words be matched with actions? * TSA challenges*

Chief Audu Ogbeh and stakeholders

There is no doubt about the competency of the present Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Chief Audu Ogbeh based on his practical experiences, and which he has exhibited with words in many fora, but stakeholders are demanding that it should be matched with action to mitigate imminent food crisis.

 Stakeholders also expressed concern on the negative impact of Treasury Single Account (TSA) payment on the sector saying agricultural related matters should be given a special attention that would fast tract support for the sector’s development especially in the face of grants from foreign partners to Research Institutes, and funding for some jointly run agricultural programmes that are being delayed in the country. 

FMARD Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh apart from being a politician was a practicing farmer before his appointment by President Mohammudu Buhari based on his track records and ability to ensure food security.

The need for the sector to be repositioned to creation of job and wealth to substitute falling oil crisis cannot be better than now.

Chief Ogbeh has since been expressing in words the steps that would be taken to ensure effective footing of the sector’s policy which he acknowledged had already begun by his predecessor who he commended and promised the continuity of his policy in Agriculture with more expansion and correction where necessary.

The minister’s promises have indeed raised the hope of many stakeholders in the sector especially in the face of none activities both in the raining and dry seasons of last year due to non availability of fund cum foods importation which is making market difficult for our farmers as regards selling their produce with example of rice and wheat.

However many of the stakeholders who pleaded anonymous said that the minister has to match his words with actions stating agricultural sector was time bound, added that the situation might go worst if expedient actions are not taken to checkmating the impact of last year’s gap of seeds and fertilizers through the  growth enhancement scheme. 

They argued that the high cost of food items in the market was already giving concern as something proactive needs to be done to put the situation under control pointing it might lead to food imports as soon as pressure began to mount for mitigations from Nigerians.

Meanwhile the lower house of the National Assemble has order the National Grain Reserve of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to immediately release  grains to the marketers to cushioned the effect of high prices of food in the market.

Many suggested that the states and local governments of the Federation must be well carried along in the Federal Government agricultural programme since many of these arms have no agricultural policies of their own that can give impressive direction to food security as expected except about three of them.

The head of crop production at the University of Maiduguri, Prof. Abba Gambo has said at a NTA programme that most states of the federation have no agricultural policy that can be used to measure the direction of food security and agricultural development saying this was a very serious challenge to the sector.

Meanwhile, at the flag off of the second phase of Agricultural Equipment held at National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization  (NCAM) the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Ogbeh has resound the readiness of the present administration of  President Mohammadu Buhari to repositioning agriculture as wealth creation sector thereby taking over the position of greater revenue generation from the crude oil adding that this administration would turn agricultural sector into new oil and gas sectors.

Already the negative effect of TSA has begun to take its toll on the agricultural activities as many of the foreign grants always being benefitted in the sector by the research Institutes who are poorly funded by the Government are now trapped due to delay occasioned by this new economic policy which many stakeholders see a ploy to take away scientists autonomy instead of strengthening it for effective and efficient operation towards agricultural development.