Buhari should pay attention to agriculture – AFAN President

What are the expectations of the Nigerian farmers from the new administration?First and foremost, we in AFAN congratulate the incoming administration. Of course, we have high expectations. Giving the fact that the president-elect himself is a farmer, he knows that the past glory of agriculture must be restored. The way forward is to harness all […]

What are the expectations of the Nigerian farmers from the new administration?
First and foremost, we in AFAN congratulate the incoming administration. Of course, we have high expectations. Giving the fact that the president-elect himself is a farmer, he knows that the past glory of agriculture must be restored. The way forward is to harness all our potentials, so we envisage a lot of commitment and investment in agriculture. In fact, our dream is that 20 percent of the annual budget will be devoted to agriculture. The president-elect should pay attention on agriculture.
What exactly do the farmers want the new government to do for them with a view to moving the sector to an enviable position?
There are many things, one, no farmer will gain anything by selling his products in its primary form. So, we need to process it to add value. The way to do it is by making sure energy, financing, good market are available. As you can see in the last few days, the election of Buhari has given rise and hope to a lot of people. The naira gained in value. The farmers will have a field day if they have good seeds, results of research findings from our institutes. By funding the institutes very well, we will get very good result of their research.
How can states and local government areas end subsistence farming?
Every state in Nigeria should devote more than ten percent of its budget to agriculture it should facilitate loan acquisition by farmers, good seeds and empower all people so that their purchasing power will be higher, so that the farmer can sell his produce at a very good margin.
Nigeria’s farming system is not yet mechanized, the tractor hiring system is not properly working in virtually all the states, how can it be made more efficient and result oriented?
Through proper funding, low interest rate and, most especially, creating parks. Take Katsina, for example, this state should be able to get three parks, and put very large capacity farm implements such as 200HP tractor, that will be kept in a park and lease to farmer groups. The large size of these tractors will make it impossible for any farmer to buy it but its coverage is fantastic. It can prepare over 1,000 hectares of land in two to three days. If you get a planter, sprayer of similar capacity, a whole region will be taken care of. If you look at farmers in France, for example, they constitute only three percent but the export is magnificent in southern France. I have visited farms of 150 hectares size, three of them sharing such implements I mentioned and within a matter of three weeks, they will finish using them and even lease out to other farmers. This is the way to go about it, if you buy a small tractor, and give a farmer on loan invariably he sells it and cannot produce anything to be able to sell and recoup money. This jamboree of getting small tractors and giving out to farmers’ annually doesn’t make sense. If you look at the past 16 years of this administration, every government here in Northern Nigeria has procured dozens of such tractors, do you see them around? In fact, there is a talk that our tractors find their ways to Ghana. Our people sell these things. So we must look at agriculture seriously. In 2012 I wrote a letter to the chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum, urging him to talk to his colleagues, to bring back the glory of agriculture by making proper investment in the sector. If we had done that, the story would have not been the same.
What role do the farmers want government to play in addressing issues of market and export of crops?
Government should, first and foremost, recognise AFAN as the umbrella body of all farmers in the country. It should address issues of power, low interest rate for agricultural loans, funding for agriculture and agribusinesses. That way, the people and farmers will invest heavily and help in turning around the economy. Nobody expects government to do these things by itself. The government should not directly engage itself in farming. It is the people that will be encouraged by creating the enabling environment that will help them. When that is done, people who have hitherto been in oil business will now come to agriculture and boost the sector having a boost, like in the days of pyramid. It was done and can be done again. I’m sure the incoming government is capable of doing it.
The outgoing administration initiated a programme to help small scale farmers to access loans but very few were able to do so. What do you want the incoming government to do in this regard?
In AFAN, we believe agriculture has no borders, we do not recognise race, ethnicity, religion or gender. Loans or any funding should be advanced to farmers, regardless of their inclinations. So, if you say some have got loans and some didn’t, I think we have not grown out of the parochialism associated with such programmes. Nigeria should be looked upon as something for all. It is inequity that brings and breeds loss of leadership or control. The funds meant for agriculture should be applied hook, line and sinker to whatever programmes government intends to do. No cutting corners, diversion or anything of such. And, of course, our president-elect has zero tolerance for corruption. This will help completely so that all allocation meant will reach were it was meant for. I believe it is doable, the present administration is capable of restoring the dignity of all Nigerians and farming as well.
How will 20 percent budget allocation assist the sector?
 I will call on the incoming administration to put all it has got on agriculture, to devote 20 percent of its budget in the first two years to agriculture. I will give you an example, if the annual budget for Nigeria is N4 trillion, if you devote 20 percent you will get about N1.6 trillion. This amount will make a lot of difference, everybody will be self-sufficient and Nigeria will be able to export its processed products and become a net exporter of agricultural products and become rich like the United States. The US agriculture has made it the richest country in the world, and the most powerful.