In order to attain sufficiency for the masses, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has urged the Federal Government to immediately begin the process of buying off processed rice by accredited millers at CBN and RiFAN events. The Association said the purchased commodity should be sold directly to Nigerians at subsidised price to cushion the rising prices. The National President of AFAN, Kabir Ibrahim, disclosed this in his address, while paying a courtesy call on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar, in Abuja.
He emphasised that there was no time to waste again in crashing price of rice in the country that is already beyond the reach of the common man despite the trillions of naira spent on the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) for rice production in the country.
He explained that it was time for President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to resuscitate the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) and Guaranteed Minimum Price (GMP) in order to bring succour to Nigerians. According to him, the Buhari administration may have made efforts and solid achievements in agriculture via various agric interventions and policies, but Nigerians are complaining bitterly of food shortage, rising food prices, austerity and food inflation, which if not addressed properly and immediately, could defeat all the investments made in the country’s agric sector. “It is with great pleasure that we come to express our solidarity with you and the Buhari administration over the efforts and solid achievements in agriculture.
“Agriculture is today on the front burner of the general discourse in Nigeria with the promise of ushering the attainment of food security and an eventual sustainable agricultural economy that will also ensure an alternative to the oil dependent economy currently going through several challenges. “However, the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) should be resuscitated immediately, beginning with the rice displayed in the recent event organised by CBN and RFAN. “The processed rice by accredited millers should be bought directly and sold to the public at subsidized price that’s resuscitating the Guaranteed Minimum Price too.” Speaking further, the AFAN national president said the various interventions by CBN, donor organisations, the several Acts such as bio-safety, soil science, fertilizer, NASC 2019, PVP 2021, ARCN 2021, NADF, NFRA awaiting assent, were all supported by AFAN at the public hearings in NASS.
He, however, suggested that the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) recently validated and soon to be launched should be properly implemented with stakeholders like AFAN fully involved to make mechanised farming successful in the country. Ibrahim also explained that all actors in the agriculture space such as the CBN, NALDA and farmers etc. must work in synergy to really impact Nigeria’s food system. He said: “FMARD should spearhead an advocacy drive to get all the 36 States plus FCT Abuja to key into the new agricultural policy (NATIP) by convening a proper council on agriculture around mid- March, 2022 back to back with the formal launch of NATIP with Mr. President as a special guest. “The Minister of Agriculture is to host all farmer organisations in a roundtable prior to the launch of NATIP. “The minister is enjoined to reinvigorate the FMARD by making far reaching restructuring and also evolving a formidable monitoring and evaluation program to ensure proper implementation of the new agricultural policy.”