Farmers task FG on security, as goverment rolls out input support

Farmers have called on the Federal Government to beef up the country’s security architecture, as the spate of attacks by bandits, especially in rural communities is escalating daily.

According to them, government support will be meaningless, if they are unable to go to their farms for the fear off being attacked.

The call is coming on the heels of the roll out of input supply by the Federal Government to 7,500 women farmers across the North Central states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on women farmers.

The National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim had attributed the escalating food prices to the low farming activities in the country, due to insecurity.

National President, Smallholder Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON), Mary Ishaya, also corroborated this saying: “Last year, farmers could not harvest their produce because of insecurity and due to the insecurity, most farmers have reduced the size of their farms.

“Had it been government was able to distribute input last year, it would have reduced the cost of food. But with this gesture now, we are sure that the cost of food will go down, if at all there is adequate security to produce the food.”

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, during the roll out of the input and mechanised equipment to rural farmers in Abuja, noted that the distribution of the farm input to smallholder women farmers and processors was in commemoration of the 2021 International Women Day Celebration.

He said the ministry has chosen to challenge the unequal access to productive inputs between men and women by rolling out distribution of inputs to women farmers, as part of commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector.

Quoting from a recently released report that the pandemic will push 96 million people into extreme poverty by the end of 2021, 47 million of who are women and girls, he said there is no chance for the world’s welfare, unless the condition of women is improved.