The Federal Government, through the office of the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, has launched a special intervention programme across states of the federation including Oyo State.
In her opening remarks, Oyo State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Kakulu Florence Omonele, who was represented on the occasion by Agricultural Officer in the Ministry, Biliqia Abdullateef, noted that the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is interested in talking to farmers to understand their challenges, struggles last season and worries for the upcoming farming season.
Speaking with journalists at Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, venue of a field engagement with farmers across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, a Deputy Director in the ministry, Abdulmalik Abdulganiyu said: ”We are here for a programme put together by the Office of the Vice-President in conjunction with Africa Fertiliser and Agribusiness partnership.
“The essence of the programme is to interface with the farmers to know their pains and challenges. The issue is buttom top approach so that whatever the Federal Government wants to do, the government will be able to know what are the challenges the farmers are facing then it will be sum up in the policies so each time they want to address it they will know excatly what to tackle.
“So, the Federal Government wants to hear from the farmers and not their representatives, not their associations and that is why the State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have been given the task to invite farmers across all the 33 local goverment in Oyo State. And this cuts across all the agricultural value chains.
“The government will be able to hear from them what their challenges are and what they want the government to do. It is more of a need assessment.”
Responding to why Oyo State is among the states selected for the programme, Abdulganiyu said: ”The choice of Oyo State, I want to believe is in recognition of the State government and the farmers’ efforts in making food available. The Federal Government is working towards food availability, accessability and affordability. It is only nine states chosen by the group and Oyo State happens to be one of the states chosen to be sampled.
“We know that one of the pains the farmers could be facing something that is general, whatever challenges farmers are experiencing here are general. The only difference has to do with the environment but most of their challenges are similar to one other.”
Farmers took turn to let out what their challenges are ranging from lack of tractors to work on the farms, lack of inputs, inaccessibility to farm, among others.
Abdulganiyu, however, informed that all the data gathered from the meeting will be sum up in the policies so that subsequently if there is any intervention, all their requests will be considered.
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