The National Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN) has distanced itself from the acclaimed five-year strategic plan for Irish potato by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ( FMAFS).
The president of the Association, Chief Daniel Okafor in a message to Food Farm News said his members were not aware of such an event that took place in Jos, Plateau state, saying how could such happen without the Association being put in the know.
He added this was why many of the implementation policies of the Government always fail, saying how could the Minister launch such a plan without involving an Association that had for many years been driving the crop passionately with a summited 10 years plan with the ministry itself.
News flying in some Whatapp platforms since Monday of this week was that the Minister of Agriculture, Sen. Kyari Abubakar has approved a five-year strategic plan to enhance potato increased production in the country.
Stakeholders have queried how could the ministry alone launch such an action plan without the Federal Executive Members involvement with the strategic farmers' association like POFAN..
According to potato president "May I use this medium to express my displeasure over the said launching of 5-year rolling plan on Irish potato without contacting our organization (Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria) POFAN.
It beats my imagination that all the efforts we made to reposition potato status including running a training program free in Plateau and other states is not recognized. Not even POFAN chairman in Plateau was invited. Non of the programs in other states were we contacted"
" Recall that it was our organization that brought the issue of Irish potato in Plateau to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. We collaborated with the Netherlands and pursued it until they expressed interest. Who then are the farmers they discovered to work with"
Chief Okafor responding to whether he was aware of such approval led us to calling the new desk officer ( named withheld), who denied such an allegation against the Minister but added he was being represented and that she could not remember such a statement being alleged against him.
She pointed out that the event was organized and financed by GIZ without the ministry spending a dime, stressed that the invited farmers are from the four producing states which she refused to mention to us.
When asked whether the minister made a statement relating to approval of the said strategic plan, her response was no, adding that the event was funded by the main organizer " Green Innovation Centre for the Agriculture and Food Sector and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)" who insisted that just two farmers from each producing state are to be invited through the ministry.
Contrary to the desk officer's position, the FMAFS official Facebook had it that the Permanent Secretary ( PS), not the minister said the ministry has launched the five-year strategic plan.
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