Stake holders at the 1st Annual NACCIMA-NIRSAL Agribusiness & Policy Linkage Conference in Abuja |
Participants at the Nigerian Association of Chambers
of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (NACCIMA) and the Nigerian
Incentive-Based Risk Sharing for Agriculture Lending (NIRSAL) have pinned down
the neglect of agricultural value chains to its present state of non-maximum
productivity.
This would be among others what will be presented to the Federal
government of Nigeria today as solution to reposition agriculture to a viable
business venture just as the Bank of Agriculture has posited that farmers’ saving
to own a bank would be more potent to financing farmers than recapitalization
in the spirit of finding solution to agriculture financing.Mrs. Dolapo Osinbanjo and others tour the exhibition stands |
Stakeholders
made this known yesterday at the 1st NACCIMA Annual Agribusiness
& Policy Conference comprises of private and public agricultural sectors at
Abuja where they brain storm and chatted a way forward on food security that
will be handy to assist in the successful implementation of the agricultural component
of the economic recovery and growth plan (ERGP) of the Federal Government (FG)
using the value chains as the major driver.
Speakers alluded to the disconnect in the
agricultural value chains ( from production-processing-marketing) with
infrastructure dilapidation, policy somersault, non-farmers’ access to
inputs, non-synergy in the collation of available improved seeds varieties data
among the research Institutes, poor storage facility for agricultural produce
to ensuring freshness and lack of
finance were parts of the identified challenges causing slow progress in
the sector.
Cross Section |
The first session anchored by Mr. Osagie Ikekhua of
Agricultural Research Council Nigeria (ARCN), Prof. Femi Peter, Nigerian Stored
Research Institute and Engr. Isaac Ozumba of ICAM, Ilorin pondered on the poor
state of improved technologies connectivity to farmers occasioned by
insufficient awareness creation caused by poor funding to Research Institutes
as high cost of these inputs were also identified to insufficient commercial
multiplication to stem down the price in the markets cum bad state of our roads
to link rural farmers even for produce evacuation.
Also improper coordination of the available research
technologies which falls on the mandate of ARCN was identified as a way of one
stop shop solutions to giving accurate statistics of improved technologies on
the shelves of Research Institute in a synchronized manner, but importantly non
availability of commercial off takers for multiplication was pinned down to be
the bane of high cost of machinery simple tools in Nigeria according to Engr.
Ozumba of National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM) while he clamored
for effective policy to checkmate import.
NACCIMA National President Iyalode Alaba Lawson in middle holding the Foodfarmnews Publication, with the Publisher Foodfarmnews Ayeni Oladehinde in black and other stakeholders |
Prof. Peter decried the high level of neglect to
processing, an arm of the value chains saying production end of agriculture was
more over crowded without access to processing that can proffer solution to
wastages and ensure preservation as all the value chains of the agricultural
productivity must not be neglected in our strive to ensure green revolution
using agriculture to diversify our economy.
Responding to solution for improved seeds
distribution, the president of Seeds Association of Nigeria (SEDAN) lamented on
the non-payment of seed inputs supplied to farmers over four years ago saying
where would his members get money to ensure sufficient production as he also
advocated for payment of their outstanding so as to allow them bounce back into
business.
SEDAN President said “pay our outstanding to ensure
buy back from farmers. We have enough improved seeds for both dry and wet
season. Research Funding needs intervention for breeders and foundation seeds.
GES encourages all people into seeds production that led to adulteration”
The voice of farmers led by Hajia Binta from Kano
and Vice President of Maize Association Alhaji Abubarka Nuru identified
challenges in the sector as harsh environment caused by poor policies on
agriculture like land clearing, high cost of farming, politic in anchor
borrower, non- accessibility and affordability of inputs, lack of extension and
poor financing to farmers thereby asking for the need to recapitalize Bank of
Agriculture (BOA) for the purpose of meeting farmers’ need.
However, the position of the Executive Director, BOA
Mr. Olubode Abikoye differed on demand for government making provision of fund
to commercial banks for onward lending to farmers stressed that farmers should
cultivate saving habits that will generate enough money for lending thereby following
the banking operation procedure.
BOA Abikoye pointed that government cannot continue
to put money in the banks for lending to farmers, saying recapitalization may
not necessarily proffer solution but that farmers should pull resources
together to own their own bank for the purpose of lending to farmers.
Other alternative funding to agriculture according
to Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural lending (
NIRSAL) representative, Mr, Babajide Arowosafe was that government should divert
some idle levies on agricultural produce into financing agriculture as smart
fund that would be de-risked by NIRSAL saying “ pension fund is huge. It can be
used for agriculture while being de-risk by NIRSAL)
The two days
event was declared open by the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo
Osinbajo, who advised that all hands must be on deck to make agriculture a success
story as she enjoined stakeholders to work together to create a documents that
would be further worked on to increase productivity across the country for the
common man.
In her speech, the National President, NACCIMA,
Iyalode Alaba Lawson (MFR) said that the agricultural policy of agricbusiness
ecosystem of Federal Government to improving productivity through priority
crops for export market endeared this administration into her association added
that “ regain of economic recovery and
growth plan 2017-2020, developed to drive structural economic transformation
with emphasis on improving both public and private sector efficiency, increasing
national productivity and achieving sustainable diversification of production
to significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare for the citizens,
beginning with food and energy security”
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