Women in Agriculture want share in FG’s N200bn loan

By Peter Duru
MAKURDI—Women in Agriculture Association, WIAA, has urged the Federal Government to compel banks disbursing the N200 billion loan to farmers, to set aside part of the fund to finance women farmers in the country.

They argued that if the suggestion is implemented, it would serve as panacea for the recurrent food shortage in the country since women constitute a large percentage of the nation’s farming populace.

WIAA regretted that despite the huge contributions of women farmers to the food need of the nation, they have been consistently denied necessary funding to boost their annual yields.

Speaking at a two-day sensitisation workshop organised for women farmer groups drawn from Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states, the Project Officer of WIAA, Mrs. Dzum Msendoo Agatha, pointed out that it was important that government addressed the issue of underfunding of women farmers in order to encourage a boost in food production in the country.

Mrs. Dzum argued that substantial part of the agric loan should be availed genuine women farmers who would ensure the judicious application of the funds.

She lamented that a situation where women were systematically shut out from benefitting from agricultural facilities which  she said, was continually discouraged growth in the sector.

“And what this means is that women produce the bulk of the food that feed the nation yet they are denied access to funds to improve on their farming output, it is just discouraging”, she said.

The group hence made a case for better funding of women farmer groups  advising that governments at all levels availed women farmers adequate finances to enable them improve on their farming activities. She said, “It is by so doing that the much craved food security for the people would be achieved and the generality of Nigerians would be better for it”, she added.