Bid to fight hunger: associations’ document ready for UN

The Gov. of Sokoto, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in hand shake with Agric Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh

·         Obasanjo warns against delay

The United Nations’ (UN) effort to bring hunger to zero tolerance through proactive involvement of Nigeria agricultural commodities stakeholders under the chairmanship of former President of the country, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo may have begun to yield fruitful result as a working document is ready to be presented to joint committee that is domiciled in the country.

The National Coordinator, Commodity Association Stakeholders’ Committee, Dr. Tunde Arosanyin said that about thirty one commodity associations from various crops and livestock have concluded a working action paper that would be presented to the national Committee on UN in Nigeria saying that the body is not completing with any farmers’ organization but rather ensuring stakeholders’ plights are well positioned to fighting hunger in the country and entire Africa.

Speaking on level of response from both Federation of Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN) and All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) he said both were contacted for comprehensive collaboration on the Zero Hunger program of the UN adding about 31 of them have been working together towards ensuring presentation of this action paper to the national committee saying the former President Obasanjo has warned against delay as Nigeria is already working behind the time frame.

The National Coordinator, commodity association stakeholders committee said that despite the initial challenges occasioned by the two associations there has been a tremendous progress saying “today I can tell you that there is working document that is ready for submission to the joint committee of zero hunger Nigeria. 

This document has input from 31 commodity associations as two potentials  factors are considered for commercial production which includes capacity of the produce to reduce hunger and potential from angle of foreign exchange capability for exportable crops across maize, cassava, rice, yam, sorghum, potato, cowpea, millet, rubber, cocoa, colanut, oil palm, cotton, cattle,poultry and fishery. The report however proffers solution to challenges of production and also highlighted the roles of farmers, government, donors and development partners as this scheme is under the sustainable development programme for 2017-30 as food security measure in Africa”

In a communiqué signed andmade available to Food Farm News, it was stated that “ government at all level should encourage the zero hunger Nigeria programme to achieve its targets and objectives in the food security. That Commodity Exchange Market of Nigeria should collaborate with commodity associations for mutual benefit. That research Institutes should ensure their findings get to the farmers in a simple language for use and increase production in Nigeria. That the steering committee of commodity association should submit its report to the secretariat of zero hunger Nigeria at IITA Ibadan”

There have been series of closed-door meetings with involvement of the Agriculture Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, former President and UN Zero hunger chairman Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,Senate’s Agric Committee Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and leaders of commodity associations with key donor partners like IFAD brainstorming on solutions to ending hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture that would be powered by improved research methodologies.

Senator Abdullahi Adamuin one of the meetings said the growing food and nutrition demands will continue to pose great challenges in our lifetime, if the farmers are not willing to settle their rift as its effect could be devastating if they are left unresolved adding that farmers in Nigeria are supposed to be the major driver of the economy if only they are organized and ready to identify needs and specific scalable solutions to end hunger and malnutrition in 2030. 

Senator Adamu further called for the partnership of commodity associations, noting that farmers created the vacuum being filled by the government, and this responsibility must be taken back through a multi-stakeholder approach that must uphold commodity exchange process of produce standardization.

He observed that lack of organization on the part of farmers has made donor agencies to give money to the government to pilot projects instead of giving it to real farming practitioners pointed out that” everything the farmer wanted to accomplish are doable as zero hunger initiative is meant to handed over support directly to farmers instead of government.