Chief Audu Ogbeh. |
· *FMARD set to deploy
agric plantation
In combating insecurity as regards food production across the country,
the Federal Government has disclosed that it intends to launch a new department
called Agro-Rangers, to fight multiple taxation of food; farmers- herdsmen clashes
and to put a stop to the activities of the cattle rustlers.
The news was disclosed through a drama by Nigerian Association of Agricultural
Product Dealers (NAAPD) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
Rivers state command, to stop the multiple taxation of agricultural commodities
and other activities relating to farmers.
Food Farm News and Voice of Africa
(VOA) in an interview with the Assistant commandant, Nigeria Security &
Civil Defence Corps, Mrs. Rita Timothy said the department is not just to stop
the multiple taxation of food items but to also checkmate the activities of the
herdsmen, cattle rustlers, destruction of farms, and other related cases.
She noted that the department is
expected to fight all kinds of social deviance that affect farmers, which as a
result, creates limitations in food production, and insecurity in the country
as the department is expected to be flagged off soon in Abuja, by the minister
of agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh.
Recently on AIT television, the Minister of Interior, Lt. General retired,
Abdulraman Danbazo during a meeting held on National security at Abuja said
that agro rangers department would soon be officially launched as a measure to
tackle multiple taxes and combat farmers’/ herdsmen clashes.
Meanwhile, the minister of
agric, Chief Audu Ogbeh has disclosed that
the ministry would soon launch some key projects like farm plantations in its
pursuit for self-sufficiency in food production and job creation.
He said plantation development will target the development of progammes
focusing on agricultural commodities for large scale export foreign earning
such as cashew, coconut, oil palm, Cashew, shea-butter, sugarcane, olive,
cactus, sesame, gum Arabic, ginger, pulses, livestock, pineapples and bananas
saying there was potentials to earn 40-50 billion dollars through plantation
project thereby enjoining the participation of the states’ government with consideration
given to comparative crops.
He encouraged the states to join
the national programme on certification and quality control, while also
learning proper packaging of commodities utilized globally, such as the use of
jute bags for pulse just as he solicited development partners’ support
financially to developing strategies outlined in the promotion FG Green
Alternative agricultural policy following CAAPD-Malabo declaration, added
agricultural loans must be designed to pay for itself with a central
coordination.
Ogbeh who described the Nigeria's agricultural mechanization density as
very low, warned that the fast rising population of Nigeria needed modern
equipment for food security adding that an intensive policy for all the states
is of the essence to achieve this goal as he disclosed that the FG has
commenced with Labor-Intensive Farming Enterprise (L.I.F.E), which aim to provide
agro-processing facilities in each senatorial district of Nigeria in
partnership with China and Brazil.
He said the global climate change patterns and the utilization of earth’s
most unique resource like water, indicates that we must adapt climate smart
agricultural practices to harness our potentials, adding that the drought in parts of Africa
and the need to secure future by planning better today led to the design of
“THE 10/37 PROJECT" which aims to construct, and rehabilitate 10 earth dams for agriculture in
each states of the federation and the FCT, as the country has 21 dams in Oyo,
12 in Ogun state and other states that are currently un- utilized.
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