Group tasks FG on mobile phone for female farmers

This was contained in a statement signed by the interim President of the group, Hajia Hajaratu Momoh, and made available to journalists in Lokoja at the weekend.  She said President Goodluck Jonathan made the pledge while presenting the 2013 Budget to the National Assembly, last year.She said the provision of the handsets was to enable […]

This was contained in a statement signed by the interim President of the group, Hajia Hajaratu Momoh, and made available to journalists in Lokoja at the weekend.  She said President Goodluck Jonathan made the pledge while presenting the 2013 Budget to the National Assembly, last year.
She said the provision of the handsets was to enable more women farmers key into the Growth Enhancement Scheme (Wallet voucher), a part of the Agricultural Transformational Agenda (ATA) of the government.
According to Momoh, lack of access to mobile phones and in some cases poor network services, had impeded the success of the scheme conceived to fast-track distribution of farm inputs especially among small scale women farmers.
She added that transportation of farm produce from one point to another has been a huge burden on women in agriculture, saying that the challenge had accounted for massive loss and wastage of farm produce after harvest.
“We recommend provision of Keke NAPEP in communities and farm centres to ease movement of farm produce for women, especially small holder farmers,” she said.
The group lamented the high cost of labour and other services within the agricultural value chain, callings for increased support through mechanized farming in order to reduce cost.