The Niger government is to partner with the National Association for Promotion of Agriculture and Food Security Department of the Farmers Council (NAAFS-NFC) to boost food security and national development.
Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello made this known while inaugurating the state chapter of the NAAFS in Minna.
Represented by Alhaji Ibrahim Matane, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Bello stated that the measure would ensure food security for the state and the nation at large.
“We want to assure you that as a government, we will provide the enabling environment for NAAFS to work with our farmers in developing the state agriculture sector in order to ensure food security for the state and the nation,” he said.
Bello said that the state policy on agriculture had developed the sector, such that agriculture has become the main stay of the state economy.
“We are utilising our arable land mass which is about ten per cent of Nigeria’s land mass, which is about 86,000km to promote agriculture.
“Due to our arable land, we can cultivate round the year because of the natural streams and rivers available to us,” he said.
He said that the state agriculture policy would assist NAAFS to operate with stakeholders in the state.
“Our policy document in agriculture covers every part of the sector, it will guide whoever is coming to invest in agriculture.
“We also have the Niger State Agricultural Investment Plan, which provides the kind of investment abound in the sector,” he said.
The Governor decried a situation where the small-holder farmers in the state are not producing enough food as a result of the farmers not practicing agriculture as a business.
“I am happy that the association is focusing on small-holder farmers because they constitute 90 per cent of the rural farmers.
“Today we want to assure you that we will work with you to develop our agriculture sector, which will grow the small holder farmers,” he said.
He said that government would collaborate with the association to make food available and affordable in the state.
Bello urged farmers in the state to practice agriculture as a business toward creating jobs and wealth in order to sustain the state economy.
Also speaking, Dr Joseph Okim, the Executive Secretary of NAAFS, said that the organisation was targeting 80 per cent of the farming population in the state.
Okim said that NAAFS would create enabling environment for the rural farmers to access agriculture loans and grants, inputs and implements.
He said that the association would ensure sustainable agriculture practices for the rural farmers in the state.
Earlier, Mrs Salome Ndakotsu, the State Director, NAAFS, said that the association intends to establish demonstration farms across the state when it starts operations.
Ndakotsu appealed to the traditional leaders in the state to make such lands available to make for smooth implementation of NAAFS programmes.
“I enjoin our royal fathers to make land available for this purpose when the time comes,” she said.
Alhaji Shehu Galadima, Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) who lauded NAAFS for the gesture promised the cooperation of farmers in the state to develop the agriculture sector.