These two positions came up during stakeholders’ discussion on the way forward in the extension of new innovations in agricultural mechanization to farmers last month at NCAM, Idofia, Ilorin, Kwara State.
Engr. Kasali pointed that most states government are fond of only showcasing Agriculture only on television without matching words with proactive actions that would positively impacted on farmers for sustainable food security across the country, stressed that subsidy to finished simple implements and tools for farming would make commercial agriculture sustainable and mechanized.
He stressed that commercial Agriculture without support to mechanization technologies transfer to farmers through effective extension would be a mirage, noted that mechanized farming was the only tool to reduce drudgery in production, and that the present contribution of the sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was merely 20% as against over 70% in the 70s.
Earlier in the speech read to the audience of states’ ADP and agriculture engineers across the nation, the ED said that ‘’ to increase productivity that will enhance the contribution of Agriculture to the gross domestic product (GDP), the country needs to mechanize its agriculture. This can only be realized by increasing the hectares of farm land developed for agriculture, and deploying appropriate agricultural mechanization technologies to them. Introduction of technologies is the best way to increase productivity because technologies will reduce drudgery, improve timeliness of operation, increase productivity per hectare and improve the socio- economy of the farmers’’
He went further ‘’ extension of these technologies should start from farmers by identifying their needs or problems being experienced on the farms. These problems should be tackled through technology research, and the solution should be brought back to farmers through the technologies prototypes for testing that will be followed by evaluation, adaptation and adoption’’
Kasali also spoke on the scanty appearance of the mechanization extension in the entire agricultural policy, saying that something drastically must be done through the draft committee constituted at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), adding that ‘’ like agriculture mechanization, agriculture extension has no clear-cut policy but was only itemized in the agricultural policy of Nigeria. When policy is formulated, it will foster the development of the extension services in the country and the strategies to be adopted to arrive at the appropriate ways of fast tracking agricultural mechanization technology transfer and adoption. Adoption is a mental process and it is linked with cultural practices and the mental thinking of the farmers must confirm that the technology is superior to their cultural belief’’
Also Mrs Ogunseyin from Ekiti state ADP pointed that loans given to cooperative farmers through Bank of Industry (BOI) and Bank of Agriculture (BOA) should henceforth be tailored through simple tools and machineries that could remove drudgery in farming, adding that ‘’ by so doing many of the new machinery or simple tools from the NCAM or other institutes can be easily transfer to farmers’’
Stakeholders therefore suggested that advocacy be taken to Bank of Industry (BOI) and Bank of Agriculture (BOA) on the need to ensure that all mechanization loans on food productivity be tailored along machinery that are produced in the country through NCAM as being stipulated by its mandate.
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