Recent happenings across the nation should serve as a warning signal to governments at all levels on the fervent need to return to agriculture as the mainstay of our economy. The prevailing hunger, imminent and crunching famine are all pointers as to why we must develop agriculture by giving it the needed attention. The first step is to think outside the box on how to improve agricultural security across our vulnerable communities. The final acceptance for a state police by the Presidency and the all the state governments is a huge additional voice to the desperate nationwide demand for a local police to address all the inherent and glaring challenges of insecurity. From security, then we move to the nitty gritty of the basic requirements of the sector.
In essence, there is urgent need for governments at all levels to show serious concern to diversifying the economy by promoting agriculture. This also calls for urgent need to mitigating the drastic effects of climatic changes,which has so far affected the agricultural sector. Already.the absence or low rainfall in some parts of the country, especially in the preceding year has predictably resulted in diminishing projection for any meaningful harvest. Meteorological projections and instructions from government agencies have not been conveyed properly to the target audience , i e the farmers. Adequate sensitisation on what to expect has always been lacking for any commensurate measure to follow to prevent or provide alternatives. Because of low rainfall, crops planted have been stunted and in some places died completely for lack of water. This has led to damages that can hardly be recovered. Because majority of our farmers do rainy season farming all the time, they are always stranded whenever there is shortfall in rain supply. Those who do irrigation don’t have to worry because they augment rainfall anytime anyhow. That’s why governments must make the two options available all the time so that if one fails, the other should compliment.
From the situation on ground, some places will have no good yields this farming season and therefore foodstuffs will be scarce and expensive.
Governments should help farmers heave some sight of relief. Even though Nigerian farmers are already used to struggling on their own, that should not make the authorities to relax and relent.
Only few states of the federation take agriculture seriously. Across the few states that encourages their people, you see irrigation infrastructure being put in place to support farmers. Only few states in the country can boast of doing this for their farmers. With high cost of items in the country, governments are expected to subsidize basic agricultural items like seedlings, fertilizers, other farm implements like tractors, etc to assist them in reducing manual labour even when they have failed to provide them with soft loans to expand investments from small scale to mechanized systems that can provide food for families and at the same time, generate some reasonable income. Year in year out, these governments deceive their people with elaborate plans for diversifying the economy but always ended unfulfiled. Not even the federal government with a huge strength has done that and not even the states with maximum capacity have attain that. It is not that those in government don’t know the value of agriculture to the society, but it appears it’s a deliberate ploy to keep the people in perpetual poverty. Many of those in strategic positions in government have their personal farms and yet, cannot encourage people to do same for the same benefits that attracted them. The story of the Nigerian farmer is that of pity, neglect, pain, agony, suffering, exploitation ,etc.
The new farming season is midway now but fertilizers are yet to to be made available. Where the items are available, the high cost of the price is beyond purchase by these same farmers. Where they need tractors to till large expanse of land and high breed seedlings for higher yield, none is available. The oil sector is not an area that everyone can venture into neither are other areas such as mining, production, commerce, aviation ,transportation ,etc. agriculture is the only sector with numerous natural endowments such as land is not as capital intensive as other such areas. Therefore, the refusal or inability or lack of concern for the agriculture sector by government, is not only disdainful, wicked but callous and inhuman. There is nobody that doesn’t eat food. Therefore food is a daily basic consumable that is needed for daily survival of people and animals. This is a critical sector that has helped many people because of its vast potentials and endless opportunities. This is a sector that has provided huge consolation for many people especially now that most governments at all levels across the developing world have not done well. It is a sector of self motivation ,discipline, sustainability and advancement. It is a sector that only those who know its value and are committed to pursuing it carry on even with no or less governmental intervention.
Source: Leadership
