Farmers have called on the Federal Government to take the issue of security on farmlands across the country very seriously. They said there is no way the country will be food secured if the issue of insecurity is not tackled headlong, stating that Nigerian farmers are hardworking and diligent, but that the issue is driving a lot of them away due to the various bitter experiences they have had in the past.
The Vice Chairman, All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State chapter, Shakin Agbayewa, in a chat said that the security of the farmlands was sacrosanct and that no matter how the government reiterates its commitment to the sector to attain food sufficiency, if the issue of insecurity is not addressed, nothing would work. According to him, “there will be no realistic solution to the problems confronting agricultural activities in Nigeria if the issue of insecurity is not considerably taken into consideration”. He thereby recommended community policing, through the creation of ‘Farm Rangers’ to protect the farmlands across the country.
He said if this is done, it would go a long way in boosting the confidence of farmers going back to their abandoned farms across the country and it would, in no small measure, contribute significantly to food security in the country. Also, a soil scientist, and a farmer, Dr. Yakub Bashorun, said that the challenges facing farmers in Nigeria are enormous, as they hinder farmers from giving their optimum best. He said part of the challenges had to do with issues of security, which makes farmers to be scared from visiting their farms as at when due, stating that something urgently must be done by the government to mitigate the problems facing farmers in Nigeria.
Bashorun, who is also the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Rhyss Farm Limited, in Lagos, listed other challenges as lack of access road to transport their farm produce, and no access to loan facilities, among others. “Sourcing credit finance for farmers is very important. There is the need to package agriculture finance to farmers”, he said. Bashorun suggested that governance structure in Nigeria should be strengthened by enabling full and effective participation of the three-tiers of government such that there are quite a number of functions and activities that are better suited for implementation at the local government level rather than the bloated federal level. He also advocated a proper documentation of agricultural land in Nigeria, stating that with the rate Nigeria was going and if care is not taken, there would not be any agricultural land in most parts of the country.
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