…provide sufficient subsidies for smallholder farmers

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Wednesday, called on President Bola Tinubu, to holistically address farm-herder conflicts across the country to achieve food security.

Speaking with Vanguard, the National President, AFAN, Arc Ibrahim Kabir, said the agricultural sector demands action that will galvanize it for immediate production, distribution and affordability.

Kabir who was once the President of Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, said the livestock sector is a major industry in the agricultural space that needs attention to ensure the farmers engaged in it are well carried along including all who are along the value chain.

He said the farmer-herder conflicts need strong political will to turn the narrative around.

He said: “It is a cheering news by President Bola Tinubu, for smallholder farmers to have a nationwide programme for the storage and facilities to reduce spoilage and waste will be established across the country because it is a very genuine effort to mitigate post harvest loss which sometimes accounts for 45-55 per cent loss to the smallholder farmers.

“The SHFs are in most cases barely able to recoup their investments owing to post harvest losses and lack of good storage for their produce therefore any deliberate effort to provide these facilities will help them to scale their productivity.

“The smallholder farmers are in most cases barely able to recoup their investments owing to post harvest losses and lack of good storage for their produce therefore any deliberate effort to provide these facilities will help them to scale their productivity.

“The farmer-herder conflict is a serious threat factor to productivity of the smallholder farmers who are actually the engine room of production in Nigeria due to abysmal mechanization so any effort to mitigate the incessant conflict is a welcome development.

“The effect of the farmer/herder conflict on the nation’s economy is quite adverse so any effort to reduce it considerably will lead to a significant improvement in the entire economy.

“The inability of Nigeria to attain food sufficiency is largely attributable to these conflicts so the stem them is a job that must be done.

“We appreciate the President’s resolve to tackle this menace and thereby deal with it decisively.”

The AFAN boss also counseled the President on his move to establish a commodity exchange board, “A well coordinated and organized private sector-led commodity exchange ensures a veritable marketing strategy for the products of the smallholder farmers who otherwise suffer untold hardship in the hands of middlemen.

“A situation where the farmer gets a guaranteed minimum price for his or her produce will ensure sustainability.

“This will engender fair prices for the consumers as well as ensuring affordability.”

Meanwhile, on the President’s actualization of agricultural hubs across the country, he (Kabir) said, “To make the hubs work efficiently they must be operated transparently and privately too.

“The government is to provide the enabling environment, monitor and evaluate them periodically to ensure sustainability.

“The evolution of these hubs will make Nigeria more competitive and better able to attain sufficiency and also play on the AfCFTA platform quite sustainably.

“The ability of Nigeria to be the giant of Africa will be further enhanced if these hubs operate efficiently and led by the private sector.”

However, on the short time for the agricultural sector,he pointed out that the President needs to quickly meet the following; “All cross -cutting issues like power, credit, transportation and efficient subsidies reaching the farmers directly should be vigorously pursued to accelerate production, processing, distribution, marketing and even consumption in order to impact the nation’s food system.

“This also requires appointing people on merit to run the Federal Minis