2020 BJAN Conference: stakeholders call on FG to create more conducive atmosphere for agribueness to thrive

By Allcitynews.ng

Stakeholders in agriculture sector have appealed to Federal Government to create more conducive agriculture to thrive.

The stakeholders made the call while speaking in the just concluded 2020 annual conference organised by Brands Journaliats Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos, Nigeria.

They expressed their displeasure over the way and manner government use to force policy on the agriculture sector without involing them.

According to them, the real farmers should be involved in formulating policy that would affect them rather than forcing policy through pages of newspapers or television screens.

Speaking on the eight BJAN Conference with theme: Consolidating Nigeria’s Agricultural Revolution: Challenges, Opportunities and Lessons, discussants: President, Organization of Technology Advancement of Cold Chains, West Africa (OTACCWA) Mr Tunde Okoya; President Rice Millers Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria, Dr Tunji Owoeye; The National Deputy President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Segun Atho, the Senior Special Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture on Communication, Mr Richard Mark Mbaram, The Managing Director/CEO, NOSAK Group, Mr Thomas Oloriegbe; Vice President, West, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Otunba Femi Oke moderated by the Managing Director/CEO, Towncriers Limited, Mr Kayode Olagesin, they charged Federal Government to make agriculture more viable for the teaming Nigerian youth through bailout subsidy.

Unanimously, they agreed that since subsidy is not meant only for oil and gas industry, agricultural sector also need subsidy not merely in giving of cash to farmers but through provision of conducive atmosphere.

“The subsidy we are calling for is not in form of cash to our members. The subsidy we want is by giving us agricultural lands. By clearing bush for our members, by helping us clear all land owners that are often around to disturb us from planting and from harvesting. In the northern part, farmers are being preventing from going to farms for to harvest their crops by terrorists that are forcing them for heavy payment of money for them to access their farms products, subsidy is also in form of provision of bulldozers for land, swamp-dozzers for swampy areas, provision of food preservers for perishable products.”