Organization calls for subsidy in agriculture

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.