80 agro input shops soon to be sold by FG

·       Distributes vet. equipment

In a bid to ensure agro-inputs are being sold to farmers at the grassroots, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) is putting final touches on its plan to sell all the one-stop-shop agro-inputs built across the states of the federation. Foodfarmnews authoritatively gathered that about eighty agro-inputs centres the Federal Government (FG) built across the country to ensure that rural farmers get the right agro-inputs at a very close range with the guarantee of non-adulteration will soon be put for sale to private operators, and the advert will soon be placed on the national dailies.

Findings revealed that these centres were not put into proper use because of the insecurity situation in the country, and government cannot keep holding on to them because of the maintenance cost involved.

Findings revealed that the impact of fake agro-inputs was not in any way better due to channel of distribution that could not be traced to a particular centre which was the reason these one-stop centres were created in the first instance to checkmate adulteration, and as well to bring improved inputs and mechanization services closer to the rural farmers in an accountable manner with certified distributors operating in the clusters.

Speaking on the matter, the Director, Agribusiness and Market Development of FMARD Mr. Femi Olaleye said that government is very passionate about the effectiveness of the centres as an effort is ongoing to ensure the ownership of the centres is being transferred to private individuals for proper usage and service delivery to the food security system, adding that the federal ministry of works had already conducted an evaluation on what each centre will cost as work is going on to place an advert on them in the dailies.

The agribusiness director added that all the 80 centres are already completed to provide farmers access to quality and affordable agricultural inputs of improved seeds, agrochemicals, fertilizers, veterinary services, tractor hire, agro extension services for increased productivity, employment generation, stimulation of market-oriented agro-investment in viable commercial agriculture.

Meanwhile, the FG has distributed veterinary equipment with an unspecified amount of naira across the states’ ministries of agriculture, animal livestock teaching hospitals, and institutes to enhance effective diagnosis for efficient animals health service delivery to farmers across the country

In a press release made available by the chief information officer of the FMARD, Mr. Ezeaja Ikemefuna, the minister of agriculture, Dr. Mohammd Mahmood Abubakar said that the laboratory equipment is meant to enhance safe and healthy foods from both crops and animals at all levels through best agronomics practices for human consumptions, adding that the recipients must judiciously use the items very well for the purposes meant for.

Dr. Abubakar said the veterinary equipment was procured through FG special intervention fund, saying that ‘’ these laboratory diagnosis and vaccination equipment, cold chain facilities and sample collection and packaging items you are about to receive from us were procured through special intervention by the FGN to complement the effort of state ministries of agriculture/ livestock and the veterinary and veterinary teaching hospitals in research& development, epidemiology & surveillance as well as disease control’’

The statement further credited the minister ‘’ the production of safe and healthy livestock population would consequently guarantee healthy living for the human population since it has been reported that 75% of emerging and re-emerging diseases are from animal origin. Such examples of these diseases are: tuberculosis, Lassa fever, rabies, Ebola, and even the covid-19’’