The Raw Materials, Research and Development Council (RMRDC), on Friday donated improved grains to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Niger State chapter, to boost productivity.The improved grains included175 kilograms of maize and 200 kilograms of soybeans.Mr John Amodu, the state Coordinator, RMRDC, while presenting the inputs to AFAN in Minna, said that the intervention was under the Raw Materials Content Development Programme of the council.Amodu said that the measure was to assist the farmers in the 2021 farming season to boost food production and ensure food security.“This gesture is done nationwide to assist our farmers increase their yields in order to produce enough food for the nation.Amodu explained that the inputs are distributed according to farmers land cultivation in each state
.He said that the council embarked on the exercise in line with the Federal Government’s policy to substitute importation of raw materials with local production.Amodu said the ‘import syndrome,’ where manufacturers rely heavily on imports rather than source raw materials locally, had contributed in dwindling the nation’s economy.He, however, said that the council would collaborate with the association to get locally fabricated planters and harvesters to help farmers in the state.Responding, Mr Abdulrahman Yusuf, the AFAN Vice Chairman in the state, thanked the RMRDC for the gesture and assured of equitable distribution of the inputs to all the registered farmers.Yusuf said that due to the challenges associated with cultivation and harvesting, AFAN would partner with the council to acquire planting and harvesting machines instead of importing them at high costs
.He said the partnership had become imperative for farmers to have access to improved agricultural tools and powered technologies in order to shift from subsistence farming to mechanised farming.“We are trying to shift from subsistent farming to mechanised agriculture,” he said.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AFAN has 1.6 million registered farmers in the state. (NAN)
