By Olayinka Olawale
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to provide a minimum of one tractor and bulldozer for farmers in the 774 local government areas in the country to boost food production.
Dr Femi Oke, AFAN’s Chairman, Lagos State Chapter, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that the machinery would subsidise farming activities and achieve national food security.
He explained that the machinery would also assist farmers to produce more food for the nation in the face of present economic challenges.
Oke also urged the federal government to urgently assist farmers with farm inputs and seedlings to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
“We believe if inputs are subsidised during the farming season it can still bring down the price of food commodities.
“As regards the tractor policy of the immediate past government, it is nothing to right home about because the tractors did not go round at all.
“Many farmers cannot access the tractors because it was given to some political farmers.
“It is not a good programme with what we have seen and doesn’t even reach the smallholder farmers,” he said.
According to him, the tractor programme is a hoax because farmers did not regard it as an assistance from the federal government.
Okecsaid: “The tractors didn’t go round, it was just like the anchor borrowers scheme that favoured only a few and could not have any effect on food production.
“We want the federal government to provide at least a minimum of one tractor and bulldozer in each of the 774 local government areas in the country.
“By doing this, every farmer within the local government would have access to the machinery to assist crop farmers.”
The AFAN chairman noted that the new price of petrol is affecting all farmers in all sectors and called for urgent intervention as the price of all food commodities have gone up.
“What we believe will have immediate impact on farming activities is subsidy on inputs and agric machinery for maize, rice, poultry, vegetable and fish farmers.
“We want government to assist us in land clearing by giving each local government area bulldozers and tractors. The price of everything in the country has skyrocketed,” he said.
The chairman also urged the federal and state governments to employ and deploy more extension officers to various farm settlements to provide extension services to farmers.
Extension officers guide farmers by providing latest information on best agronomy practice, according to him.
“Right now, we don’t have enough extension officers in our various farms, what we have is grossly inadequate so government need to employ more officers.
“We also want government to enhance seeds companies to produce more improved seedlings with high yields.
“Farmers cannot go on strike because if we do, the whole country will collapse.
“We don’t to go on strike because people must eat, but we can only reduce what we produce and that will bring hardship to the people and we don’t want that,” he said.
Oke stressed thst: “Reducing production will bring hardship and that is what is happening right now, the hardship is too much.
“A tin of garri is over N1,000, which an average home cannot even afford. We want government to act fast with its palliatives.
Besides, he urged the federal government to assist farmers in the rice value chain with the supply of some agric inputs and extend it to other produce value chains.
“If all these could be done as quick as possible, probably the price of food may likely come down.
“Right now, farmers have no choice than to abide by the new petrol price from transportation, labour, seedlings and equipment, everything is very expensive now.
“We are still coping and that is why farmers don’t go on strike, because if we do, it will be a serious problem,” said the AFAN leader. (NAN)
