Agric correspondents decry inputs politicization

 

The Chairman, Agriculture Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN), Collins Nnabife, has condemned the food security politicization through input distribution by the government officials.

Mr. Collins Nnabife accused the government officials of this act during a media engagement with the officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security "FMAFS" in Abuja.

Nnabife expressed concerns that critical farm tools such as fertilizers and tractors were delayed from being getting to the farmers at the right time for food security.

criticised what he described as the poor handling and politicization of agricultural input distribution in the country, accusing government actors and civil servants of inefficiency and lack of seriousness in the sector.

Nnabife said that many countries globally support agricultural production through subsidies on inputs, but Nigeria’s approach, he alleged is undermined by political interference and poor timing delivery.

“What I will say is that the Nigerian government is so unserious, the civil servants are also very unserious. They politicize everything"  he said.

He argued that fertilizers distribution which are expected to support food production, is often delayed or poorly handled to suit election period rather than meeting peak farming seasons when farmers actually need them.

“There is no country that does not subsidize agro-inputs. The difference is that we politicize our own fertilizers, and farmers receive them very late. It is not just about procurement; it is about timing and distribution” he added.

Nnabife further alleged that agricultural equipment such as tractors, despite being procured with public funds are not always deployed effectively for sustained agricultural productivity. Instead, he claimed, they are sometimes withheld until the critical period politically.

The agric correspondents chairman covering FMAFS called for a more transparent, depoliticized, and farmer-focused approach to agricultural policy implementation towards food security.