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Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja

The Agro Commodities Directorate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has lamented the growing difficulties being faced by farmers across the country as a result of Naira scarcity and consequently demanded a one-year extension of the Naira swap policy.

In a joint statement, on Thursday, the Council, however, said that the “Naira redesign policy is killing the fortune of farmers in rural Nigeria but farmers will still vote massively for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu “.

The statement was signed by the Director of the Directorate, Abubakar Bello Udulu! President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria RIFAN, Shehu Muazu; Alhaji Bello Annur; Farmrade Retson .A. Tedheke and Prof. Garba Director.

“The directorate urges President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the usage of the old Naira notes for a minimum of one year.

“This is a result of the scarcity of new notes in rural farming communities where farmers are forced to sell their produce far below the cost of production. This has the tendency of eroding all the successes in terms of prosperity that the buhari agriculture revolution has brought to farmers”, the PCC stated.

The statement added that the development also portends a danger to the food security of the country.

According to the PCC, once farmers are forced to sell at a loss due to new currency scarcity, they will not be able to recoup their investments. Alternatively, they will not be on their farms by the next planting season.

While it encouraged the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN to evolve rural banking system that will promote cashless banking in rural Nigeria, the directorate expressed delight at Tinubu’s rural agricultural hub initiative which it said would make rural Nigeria bankable, productive and developed.

The council further urges Nigerian farmers to use the current challenges as a catalyst to vote the Tinubu/Shettima ticket, and advised Nigerians to be calm in the face of the activities of saboteurs.