Agric policy: Farmers/ herdsmen clashes, cassava, extension top priority

*Technical department memo step down

·        *AFAN vows to monitor implementation

·        *Stakeholders demand Fadama AF, IFAD continuity

The National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD), the apex policy maker in the sector has approved a proposal seeking implementation and provision of facilities for herdsmen towards encouraging ranching to forestall incessant clashes occasioned by cattle being moved about in the country, even as national productivity of cassava was also approved along with a memo on national policy on extension for its strategic role in technologies transfer to farmers nationwide.

Also all the pleas by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Permanent Secretary (PS) Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar to get approval for a memo on the technical leadership heading a department met with negative reactions by most members of the council who argued it would distort professionalism within the service as the present case in the department of Animal Husbandry department in the ministry.

These approvals depict the core policies direction in the agricultural sector at the federal and states for the year 2019 food security programmes. Although many stakeholders have underscored the performance of the sector in the last two years saying the activities of the World Bank Fadama 111 Additional Financing and International Fund Agricultural Development programmes across the states of the Federation had been of tremendous help as the youth beneficiaries were demanding for the continuity of the two projects towards ensuring food security and job creation.

 Also, the council during the matters arising session from the last Port Harcourt meeting advocated special intervention fund for research innovations saying the agricultural development fund should be revisited.

These memos approval with other matters arising were exhaustively discussed at the 43^rd NCARD meeting held in Umuahia under the chairmanship of the FMARD permanent secretary, Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar who  represented the Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh who could not make it probably because of another meeting with President Mohammadu Buhari.

However, the memo on RUGA settlement model was approved based on its importance to addressing the herdsmen and farmers clashes across the nation as movement of cattle in search of pastures and water would be curbed to promote ranching for better economic value derivation in meat and milk for further processing and marketing.

Speaking on the memo, the chairman of the council said that pastoralists have been neglected without government support in their need for pastures and water cum other social basic amenities and that the Presidential initiative on livestock is aimed at checkmating this incessant clashes as each state is expected to key into the programme so as to be able to generate enough pasture for cattles.

The chairman said ‘’ RUGA is aimed at the development of ranches as each state will contribute land to breed pasture for animals. It is a security issue which requires national approach as no security can be bigger than food security. We are doing this to ensure non movement of animals but rather ranches. RUGA will provide houses, waters, security of cattle, health centres, nomadic schools, markets, abattoirs and processing centres for mils. They are all Nigerians will need to join hands to help these people. To deal with security we need to help them as the micro-chips of animals will put an end to farmers and herdsmen clashes. This memo is one of the resolves from many committees to resolve this problem, and this is one of the solutions.’’

However, this approval did not go without criticism on why did government wanted to invest in business that was privately owned, while another person under anonymity asked about the outcome of the grass the ministry spent billions of naira to procure abroad for multiplication in Nigeria.

Another approved memo was the cassava commercialization through processing and marketing presented by Abia State government which received applause while the council suggested that its implementation must be across the nation since cassava crop is grown nearly in all states of the federation. However the memo requested for CBN credit facility at all the value chains from production to processing and marketing. However, many delegates wanted to know the whereabouts of N10b cassava bread fund meant to proactively galvanise the productivity of the crop.

Also, extensively discussed before approval was the memo presented by the Ministry on efficient extension services towards commercial food production with best agricultural practices with improved technologies transfer towards achieving  positioning of agriculture as business  to generate wealth and job creation for the growth of our internal revenue. Stakeholders believed this policy paper in view of deplorable condition of many ADPs in the country might give a wakeup call to reposition them for farmers’ benefit.

However, the council had a rowdy session on the memo on technical profession even as all the pleas by the chairman on behalf of the paper on the ground of leadership specialization over the years after point of employment and team work among departments and units towards national development met with stiff opposition by many members of the council who argued that such advocacy would distort the professional pursuit of the service towards better delivery and best global practices.

 Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar in his advocacy for the memo stressed that the Service must be rescued from un-progressive decision where an administrative leader, a directorate cadre cannot head any department based on professionalism rather than leadership specialization, noting that this had been the reason why things have refused to move forwards in Nigeria coupled with corruption and policies summersault, despite billion of naira expended into the sector.

 He argued further that a level 14 officer at the Federal Civil service must have attended several leadership training programmes capable of ensuring his or her optimal performance as a director in any department of the federal ministry having passed the general promotion examination for this cadre as service must encourage criss-cross ideas for better developmental result through leadership specialization.

He pointed out that the memo is an information model for states to know in case they wanted to key into it without being forced, adding that the ministry would do anything to uphold the Civil Service rule according to its act by the National Assembly.

But speaker after speaker did not agree with the position saying the order will demoralise professionalism and even result to high level of poor performance and corruption beyond the level we are now as regard food security. They argued that the two technical groups had earlier stepped down the memo wondering how the paper reappeared before the council for approval.

After argument and counter arguments, the council agreed to step it down as an information paper when majority members voted against it.

However, majority of stakeholders who spoke with food farm news under anonymity described the performance of the sector as poor in the last two years saying non release of fund at the appropriate time is responsible just as All Farmers Association of Nigeria ( AFAN) promised to set up monitoring committee for the 2019 council approvals up to research institutes.

The Deputy Vice President, AFAN, Chief Daniel Okafor who during his goodwill message on behalf of the President, said farmers would no longer sit behind, but rather would ensure the effective monitoring the policy implementation of all these agricultural policies through a committee the association would set up.

In his message, the chairman federation of Youth fadama farmers, Mr. Williams commended the Fadama 111 AF project and demanded for its continuation for its value addition to food productivity and job creation for many youths across the states in the country saying the increase in rice productivity was the function of effective implementation of the programme