A glance into full text of AFAN’s call on Hon Minister Agriculture & Natural Development 

Posted by allcitynews.ng

AN ADDRESS BY THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF ALL FARMERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA(AFAN) DURING A COUTESY CALL ON THE HONORABLE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, DR MOHAMMED MAHMUD ABUBAKAR ON TUESDAY, 22ND FEBRUARY, 2022 BY THE NEC/NWC OF AFAN.

Protocol.

No farmer, No Nation;
Great farmer, Great Nation.

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 banner 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.

The various interventions by the CBN,donor Organizations, the several Acts such as BIO-SAFETY, SOIL SCIENCE, FERTILIZER, NASC 2019, PVP 2021, ARCN 2021 and others such as NADF, NFRA awaiting assent were all supported by AFAN at the public hearings in NASS.

In order to get to the enviable position of food sufficiency and ultimately food security we suggest the following:

1. 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.

2. The National Food Reserve Agency(NFRA) should be resuscitated immediately beginning with the rice displayed in the recent event organized by the 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 GMP( Guaranteed Minimum Price),too!

3. 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.

4. The FMARDA should spearheard an advocacy drive to get all the 36 States plus FCT 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.

5. The HMA is to host all farmer organizations in a roundtable prior to the launch of NATIP.

6. The HMA should graciously lead AFAN to pay a solidarity visit to Mr President as soon as possible.

7. The HMA 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.

The suggestions above are not exhaustive and AFAN is ever ready to offer more suggestions and support anytime we are called to do so to make the HMA to succeed.

We wish you and your entire team every success in the daunting task of evolving a veritable as well as a sustainable food system for NIGERIA.

Many thanks.

Arc Kabir Ibrahim,
National President,
AFAN.