Group engages in agriculture to tackle unemployment

Reality International which draws its membership across the Niger Delta region, is a co-operative society aimed at using agriculture to correct social vices in the country occasioned by unemployment and redirect the government policy towards agro  based economy.Already, the group has acquired about 30 hectares of land at Etche in Rivers State for its demonstration […]

Reality International which draws its membership across the Niger Delta region, is a co-operative society aimed at using agriculture to correct social vices in the country occasioned by unemployment and redirect the government policy towards agro  based economy.
Already, the group has acquired about 30 hectares of land at Etche in Rivers State for its demonstration farm where vegetables, fruits, cassava and yam will be cultivated and sold in the market.
The leader of the group, Prince Thankgod Njoku Ezenwata, said at the flag off of its demonstration farm at Rumuodomaya in Port Harcourt that  the group is aimed at creating about 150,000 jobs through agriculture in the Niger Delta at a first instance and across the country within a period of three years.
He said the group is working in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the area of assistance to create jobs for Nigerians through agriculture.
He said the group has approached the Nigerian Bank of Industry to assist it access the agricultural development loan to enable its members develop their farms and pay back within a stipulated time.
“A lot has been said about agriculture in Nigeria. Some said it is dead while others say it is still alive. Whatever the case maybe, it is irrelevant, what matters most is the way forward and that is the main focus of our group.  What government at both state and federal levels need to do is to improve the standard of agriculture in Nigeria. The availability of accessible roads and transport system is a necessity for agriculture to thrive in Niagara.
“Many farmers get discouraged when they remember the stress they will pass through bringing their farm produce to the end user. The prices of the produce are usually outrageous when they eventually hit the market.
“Inasmuch as fertilizer is not the only way of nourishing our farms, the use of fertilizers in modern farming is still very much acceptable and should be made available. Industries that produce should be encouraged by all concerned,” he said.
Ezenwata said adequate financing of agriculture will surely boost agro-based economy in Nigeria and that one way the government can do this is to imbibe the culture of good financial management and strategic asset allocation technique in governance.
He said doing so will ensure that funds are properly allocated and monitored for efficient utilization when allocated just as there is no gainsaying that agricultural produce will be better, especially when the importation of certain farm produce is banned from coming into the country so as to encourage the consumption of the locally manufactured farm variety.
He advocated for the improvement of rural electrification projects as that would help preserve farm produce while pest control and other necessary chemicals used in agriculture should be produced or better still subsidised for the farmers.
“If government should spend one tenth of what it spends on oil subsidy on agriculture, then farmers will be encouraged to do more than they are doing at the moment. Farmers should be encouraged to take up agricultural insurance policies to help re-instate them in times of loss. Little is known about the existence of the Nigeria Agriculture Insurance Corporation (NAIC), a body that is overseeing insurance in agriculture in Nigeria.
“Nigerians should be told of the impending danger of not taking our agriculture serious. Many of our citizens have forgotten the fact that food is produced by human beings and would one day be scarce if we neglect food production,” he said.
He blamed the appalling state of agriculture in Nigeria on the Ministry of Agriculture stressing that if the trend is not checked agriculture and other sectors of the Nigerian economy would be in serious crisis, adding that the group has engaged more than 3,000 persons comprising youth, men and women to kick start its pilot project in agriculture, adding that its membership cut across all ethnic and religious divides.
“It will interest you to know that we have about 3,000 persons in the co-operative in the first instance. Our members are drawn across Niger Delta. In Rivers State, we have somebody representing Hausa community. The reason is to make sure we carry every ethnic group along. Our members are divided into 10 groups. Each group will be assisted with soft loan to enable them develop their farms and other agro-based economic activities,” he stated.
The national youth coordinator of the group, Mr Manager Gbeni, said the group has mobilised thousands of youths in the state to educate and enlighten them on the need to embark on agriculture. He said the co-operative will address the issue of unemployment in the Niger Delta.
“If you take statistics of crime in Nigeria, you will find out that 90% of crimes are perpetrated by the youth. But if they are engaged in agriculture and earn their living from there, they will have no or little time to involve themselves in any form of criminal activity,” he stressed.
He called on the youth in the state and across Niger Delta to embrace the organisation and avail themselves the opportunity of securing their future through meaningful engagement in agriculture.
The National Security Coordinator of the group, Lucky Alawa, said the association is aimed at reducing crime through engagement of Nigerians in agriculture, adding that the association will soon embark on enlightenment programme to educate Nigerians on the benefit of agriculture.
He lamented that Nigeria has lost billions of naira as a result of its inability to exploit the gains of agriculture, adding, “we will soon embark on enlightenment programme to educate Nigerians especially the youth on the need to embrace agriculture.
“Nigeria is an oil-based economy with little emphasis on agro-based economy. We want to educate Nigerians on the need to go back to farming. You don’t need to acquire hectares of land to plant and cultivate. The little portion you have at your backyard will be enough to plant one or two things. By so doing you are creating your own employment because one or two things you harvest from the farm can be sold in the market,” he said.