By Oludele Taiwo
All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) have stressed the need for facilities for irrigation farming to be made available to farmers, so as to enable them produce all-year-round.
The National President of AFAN, Kabir Ibrahim said that farmers in the country should be encouraged to do all-year-round production instead of just rain-fed production by availing them adequate irrigation facilities.
He also said that it is hoped that the government would make concerted efforts at supporting small holder farmers to optimise their productivity by making available subsidised fertilizers and other inputs, including good seeds.
Ibrahim added that the effort to mitigate flooding and climate change needed to be given prime attention going forward, and that the promised mechanisation should be actualised.
Also, the National President of FACAN, Dr. Victor Iyama corroborated Ibrahim, stating that farmers were still looking forward to a situation where they will not only depend on rain-fed agriculture, but irrigation-fed agriculture.
“We are looking forward to irrigation-fed agriculture whereby we can dwell on all-year-farming, especially for arable crops”, he said.
Iyama said though this is an election year, where nobody is saying anything about any other thing other than elections and that after elections, he believes that things would pick up.
“You and I know that we are concentrating more on the election now nobody is saying anything about any other thing. We are all Nigerians, we know what is going on in this country, but until after the election whosoever emerges will be in a position to analyse the way or the side the pendulum will swing, but we are hoping for a good year especially agriculture-wise.”
Speaking further he said though things are a bit expensive but it is not as bad as people were professing it.
“Things are a bit expensive, but we still have food, it is not as bad as people were professing because we all know that despite all the banditry we still thank God our farmers still try their best, they were resilient, they weather the storm, that is why we can still see food in our markets. “I believe that this year will be better because no matter what, I strongly believe that the banditry and herdsmen issues will surely be tackled headlong,” he added.
