Re-GES: FG orders input providers to present good conduct letters

* ICRISAT presents report

The Federal Government (FG) in the bit to bring back the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) of inputs distribution to farmers has ordered that all participating input providers must present a letter of good conducts to the programs.

This was one of the mandates given to the inaugurated members of the new National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS&AP) instituted by the  State Minister of Agric, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri as contained in a press release made available last week Friday by the ministry information officer, Mohammed Abdullahi Gana of behalf of his director to the media.

The statement said that the state minister of Agriculture, Hon. Baba Shehuri had inaugurated implementation and technical working committee on NAGS&AP chaired by the Agric minister with a mandate to ensure that all participating agro dealers and service providers submitted a letter of good behaviours to the services they are being engaged to deliver to farmers are quality.

The detail of other conditions that are given to these agro dealers were not written in the press statement. Full content of the statement read that ‘’ the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, inaugurated the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket ( NAGS&AP), Implementation and Technical working committee charged with the following mandate; All  Agro dealers and other service providers must provide letter of commitment and undertaking not be involved in any form of malpractice, Value Chain approach should be adopted in scheme's implementation, i.e both upstream production and downstream processing, value addition, marketing up to consumption. All Inputs to be distributed to the farmers must be of proven quality, among others. The committee has Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development as chairman and 16 other members’’

Also it was said in the press release, but in another function that the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abubakar has received a report on seven (7) socio- economic studies conducted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), through its Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Hakeem Ajeigbe who said the document is meant to strengthen the development of agriculture in Nigeria with collaboration. .

The statement had the minister saying that “investment in agriculture is paying and Nigeria has become the largest producer of rice and sorghum in Africa, second largest producer of millet in Africa and first in cassava and yam production globally’’ just as the statement emphasised the contribution of ICRISAT in championing enhanced productivity of sorghum, millet and groundnut in Nigeria as well as climate smart agricultural system in partnership with other research institutes and universities in the country.

 

 "The Ministry therefore requires your contribution and support towards delivering in these priorities areas. Only then will we be able to address the impact of the global health emergencies and high expectation of present administration in the agriculture sector “said the statement.

 

The Minister stated  further that the ministry would make use of the ICRISAT’s scientific analysis and recommendations in the drafting of the forthcoming National Agricultural and Technology Innovation Plan (NATIP) while he commended ICRISAT and its national partners like  Agricultural Research Council, Institute for Agricultural Research, Zaria,  Lake Chad Research Institute, National Agricultural  Extension And Research Liaison Services, States’ ADPs and CDA-Bayero University in Kano.