Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) |
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) has called for
subsidies in agriculture in Nigeria in order to achieve food security. Lead
specialist of FARA, Prof. Oluwole Fatumbi made the call during the closing
ceremony of a four-day training programme held in Abuja.
He explained that the subsidization must be strategic to give general
incentives that would provide enabling environment for farmers to achieve
optimum production.
Prof Fatumbi who acknowledged efforts of the present administration
urged it to channel its efforts in the right direction to ensure that
agriculture delivers for the larger population.
His words: “Agriculture should be subsided, but strategic subsidization
at the point of providing general incentives that gives enabling environment
for farmers to achieve optimum production. Hundreds of years ago they were where
we are now, but today only two per cent of Americans are farmers on the farm
while 13 per cent are in value chain development, processing and financing
which brings growth and reduction in price of commodity.
He said while he was not against government efforts, it needed to
channel the efforts and energy in the right direction to ensure that
agriculture delivers for the larger population.
Prof. Fatumbi further explained that the training was aimed at exposing
youths and women to new innovations that would make likelihood profitable for
farming enterprises by engaging them on best practices in various agricultural value-chains.
He urged youths to send in concept notes for evaluation for them to
establish more innovative platform and practise it and get certified as
agricultural extension workers and resource persons.
He assured that the impact of the project would be felt in the first
quarter of 2019 for the first set of trained participants who were expected to
in turn train 60-70 people after wards.
In regards to the problem surrounding access to land, he stressed the
need for Federal Government to review the 1979 land tenure act, to take land from
owners, who inherited land from their parents and have no use for them and
release same to prospective farmers who would pay modest rent for its use.
He advised that FG remodel and review the National Agricultural Land
Development Agency (NALDA) principle which was good but politicized and badly
implemented, leading to its abandonment.
Said he: “This innovation platform concept is the most important that
can help and make livelihood compliant for profit making for farming
enterprises and it will be better to hand this over to the next generation.
When they have the knowledge they can engage with other youths and get them
established in different innovative platforms. Young Professionals for
Agricultural Development (YPAD) and a few other youths-in-agriculture group are
fully represented here, and they have been trained and we expect them to also
train others and we will consistently give them incentives to establish this
innovative platform and make it operational.”
A retired Professor of Agricultural Extension from Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, Prof. Tunji Arokoyo attributed woes in the sector to lack of
good leadership and commitment and condemned the usual fun fair and media hype
which accomapny agricultural programs with little or no actual investment in
the sector.
He lamented low commitment of the government to the 2003 Maputo
agreement and 2014 reconfirmation in Malabo that compelled member states to set
aside 10 per cent of yearly budgets to agriculture.
The Chief Agricultural Research Officer, Agricultural Research Council
of Nigeria (ARCN), Mrs. Alice Fabiyi urged researchers to engage more in demand-
driven researches and avoid the idea of research-for-promotion sake.
Mrs. Fabiyi, who noted that extension services and researches were
expensive, urged government and other stakeholders to drive the demand for
researches so that they can be adequately funded.
The Country Representative of Ypad, Eric Nyikwagh urged youths to take
advantage of the opportunities available in the different agriculture value
chains and to start small and upscale as they grow, while seeing agriculture as
business.
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