NANT President Berr.Ken Ukaoha- Traders |
National
Association of Nigerian Traders [NANTS] has once again called for increased
budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector in Nigeria’s quest to attaining
food security and zero hunger by 2030.
Speaking
at an event in Abuja organised by Agriculture Correspondents Association of
Nigeria [ACAN], Bar. Ken Ukaoha, President of NANTS, bemoaned a situation where
budgetary allocation to agriculture has not exceeded 2 per cent since 2010 till
date, in spite of the fact that Nigeria was a signatory to Malabo declaration
which recommended that African countries should allocate 10 per cent of their
budgets to agricultural sector.
He
canvassed for the allocation of 60 per cent of the agricultural budget to small
scale farmers, who he said, produce over 80 per cent of food consumed in the
country adding that there was the urgent need to reduce wastages in bureaucracy
in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other
government institutions.
He
also called for inclusiveness in the policy formulation as it relates to small
holder farmers, adding that “he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches
him.”
The
president of NANTS, who noted that social capital investments introduced by
government must be targeted at farmers, also lamented the policy somersaults
that have characterized the activities of government over the years as well as
their negative impact on the development of the agricultural sector.
As
part of measures to guarantee food security, Ukaoha urged the government at all
levels to revitalise the extension service agents to educate farmers on modern
agricultural practices.
Said
he, “you cannot increase food productivity without extension service agents with
appropriate service delivery: It has gone moribund. Let’s wake it up.”
He
further called for the lasting resolution of crisis between herdsmen and
farmers in some states in the country to forestall food shortages in the
country. “What is the future of food security in Nigeria? What is the future of
right to food in Nigeria?We need to quickly find solutions to these crises
beyond the proposed establishment of ranches by the Federal Government.”
Ukaoha
who made a case for access to market for farm produce, added that “Nigeria’s
economic diversification cannot take place without access to market for farm
produce.”
“Move
around the country, it is a shame that we still see tomatoes, onions, mangoes and
other fruits by the roadsides, welcoming flies. They are caressed by flies,
wasting.There are post-harvest losses on one hand, and another, small scale
farmers cannot sell their produce,” he said.
To
this end, he urged journalists to champion the cause of the small holder
farmers in the country to bridge the missing link in the agricultural value
chain.
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