IMPLEMENT AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENDA-FARMERS URGE BUHARI

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to, in the interest of Nigeria’s economy, vigorously pursue and implement the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the immediate past administration in order to move the country forward. This was part of the communiqué issued at the end of the One-Day South West Town Hall Meeting convened by AgroNigeria recently in Ibadan, Oyo State capital After an extensive deliberation, the Nigerian farmers (South-West zone), unanimously resolved that President Buhari should never politicize Agriculture, rather he should consolidate on the laudable policies of the immediate past administration especially ATA to move the sector to the next level. They maintained that the present administration should continue to pursue and implement the ATA which had started on a very sound footing. They also recommended that all the states in the South West Nigeria should as a matter of priority, invest massively into commercial agriculture; insisting there must be urgent efforts calculated at bridging the gap in food production between the North and the South. The forum also resolved that: “Policy formulations should adopt bottom-up and end-user-driven intervention approaches especially on fundamental issues affecting agriculture. The Farm Settlement Scheme should be resuscitated, strengthened and better positioned to address the 21st Century needs of agriculture. Attitudinal orientation should be encouraged and institutionalized by all stakeholders as this will address the negative impressions of the youth in going into agriculture. Migratory Fulani herdsmen should be integrated into the national agricultural policy to proffer lasting solution to the frequent clashes between them and other farmers.” The meeting also resolved that youth and women in agriculture should be accorded priority attention whenever policies on financial interventions are being formulated; adding that there must be a national declaration of a state-of-emergency in agriculture that will insist on a policy that Nigeria has no reason to be food insecure. The farmers frowned at the current huge infrastructural gaps in the rural areas and insisted same must urgently be addressed to make for a rewarding season for agricultural practitioners; adding that the communication gaps between farmers and policy implementation must be bridged. They argued that Agriculture in all its ramifications must be projected and made to be profitable and worthwhile, and emphasis should be placed on training and capacity development for agriculture practitioners, especially women and youths. http://agronigeria.com.ng/