Buhari should carry farmers along in his agric policies

From Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) (1976-1979), Green Revolution (1979-1983) to the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) (2011-date), policies were formulated without considering the farmers’ need-driven issues. The result is that agriculture has remained the same for donkey years.Currently, Nigerian farmers cannot export most of their produce because it does not meet the international standard while […]

From Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) (1976-1979), Green Revolution (1979-1983) to the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) (2011-date), policies were formulated without considering the farmers’ need-driven issues. The result is that agriculture has remained the same for donkey years.
Currently, Nigerian farmers cannot export most of their produce because it does not meet the international standard while 45% of the produce is lost to wastage according to Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.
Immediate past minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, stated recently in Lagos that over 103 Nigerian produce were rejected in Europe – a factor that has left Nigerian farmers poorer than their South African or Kenyan counterparts.
Farmers’ needs must be assessed. The research institutes must also be repositioned to be demand-driven and respond to farmers’ challenges at all times. Right now, the 15 agro research institutes are underfunded.
“Our research institute must also be properly funded and strengthened to be relevant like the Brazilian agricultural research organisation called “Embrapa” which solves the problems of Brazilian farmers,” Peter Bitrus, an agriculturist in Abuja stated.
Malam Mohammed Isa is a farmer in Zuba. He expressed hope that the new government comes in with a renewed hope for farmers and therefore must strive to meet the farmers’ expectations.
“That is the reason why we voted for him; he should be able to improve the farmers’ conditions and that will solve many problems created by unemployment in the country,” he said.
But Obayomi Kunle who is into poultry production in Masaka, Karu LGA of Nasarawa State, stressed that the new government must increase agricultural spending if it is serious about agriculture, adding that previous governments could’ve made meaningful impact with less than 1.5% budgetary allocation to agriculture.