Nigerian Govt Urged To Empower Large Scale Farmers
The Federal Government have been urged by the Katsina State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) to identify and empower large-scale farmers grow food and cash crops for local consumption and export.
AFAN Chairman, Alhaji Yau Gojo-Gojo at his Tafkin Bauna farm located in Mai’adua Local Government also advised the government to establish demonstration farms to support local farmers with new farming techniques and improved seeds.
Gojo-Gojo said the government should serve as uptakers for all produce so as to ensure the success of the national food security programme.
According to him, the policy if implemented will promote agriculture, encourage consumption of locally produced food and make farmers more committed to recording higher yield.
He said for the programme to succeed, the federal government needed to have a comprehensive list of genuine farmers to partake in the food security programme.
Gojo-Gojo believed that the programme would stabilise the prices of food and boost export.
The AFAN chairman stressed that successful implementation of the policy would create millions of jobs to the teaming unemployed school leavers in the country, stressing that the agricultural sector remained the largest employer of labour in Nigeria.
“I personally employ 500 people on my farm and they are doing well,” he said.
Gojo-Gojo lauded the commitment of the federal government in promoting agriculture through the anchor borrower programme.
According to him, the policy has provided ready market for locally produced agricultural products.
