Chairman, Folhope Nigeria Limited, an integrated agricultural firm headquartered in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, Chief Emmanuel Folorunsho Ogunnaike, in this interview tells NURUDEEN ALIMI reasons the Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency; embark on massive maize importation:
WITH the current situation of agriculture sector in Nigeria, what advice will you give the government on how to render support to crop, livestock and poultry farmers who are facing hardship at the moment?
My advice is that the government, most especially the Federal Government should embark on massive importation of maize to help poultry farmers in particular to cushion the effect the scarcity of maize is having on their businesses. This is very important in order to save poultry businesses in the country from imminent collapse. This will also stabilise the price of maize in the local market at the moment. The government should imports large quantity of maize, on a temporary basis. Then the government should encourage large maize users to go into maize plantation and create conducive atmosphere for the farmers to produce maize and other food crops in large scale. By doing that, the farmers will feel secure, the Federal Government should guarantee the safety of the farmers, that is, the farmers should always feel secure while on their farms. Anything relating to insecurity such as the activities of herdsmen who attack farmers on their farms, bandits invading, destroying farms and killing farmers should be properly looked into and eradicated within the shortest time possible. If that is not done, the country will be facing terrible scarcity of foods which will result to acute famine. When famine sets in, the next thing is disease outbreak. so we need to do the needful to make sure farmers’ lives and their property are secure. Herdsmen and bandits sending them out of their farms will always result into food insecurity.
Recently, the Federal Government announced that it will embark on the distribution of grains to farmers to boost their production with a view to ensuring food suffiency in the country. Do you think the grains are really available in the country?
Well, we heard the announcement, and we believe if the grains are not available, they would not have announced it. So, let us wait and see.
How would you describe the effect of the current petrol subsidy removal on poultry business?
I am afraid, price of commodities is going up everyday, even including labour. To move from one place to another in towns and cities currently will cost between N1,000 and N2,000. I do not know how small scale farmers and other small scale businesses can survive, most especially salary earners. I do not know how small salary earners can survive with the situation of things, how they can afford three square meals per day I do not know. How we can survive in this country right now, we do not know. Because the minimum wage of N30,000 is not nothing to reckon with. Even N50,000, N100,000 are nothing to reckon with. But everybody is afraid of saying the truth for one reason or the other. I am afriad where the country is heading to.
As a large scale business owner, how has the hike in petrol price affected you?
We have been running the business at a loss even before the petrol subsidy removal and things are getting worse, except we want to deceieve ourselves. To pay staff salaries is very difficult and what the workers are earning cannot even take care of their personal needs not talk of family responsibilities. It is as bad as that. Everything is nosediving, do not let me deceive you. Things are not okay with the masses, how to get it corrected we do not know.
Presently, the price of cocoa is rising at the international market, what is the implication of this on Nigeria’s economy and cocoa farmers?
It is going to be a very good one for Nigeria, but the question is that are we still into large scale production of cocoa? Because year in year out, the volume of coca production in Nigeria is declining. All these are what the government should encourage the people to go back into. All food crops are so expensive, even all food crops are now more or less cash crops. Most of them are giving more money than cash crops. Maize, cassava and others are giving more money than cash crops such as cocoa we are talking about. Government should encourage farmers to go into large scale farming but the problem is that without the provision of farm equipment, farmers will not be able to do so much. That is why we have been agitating that the government should venture into the manufacturing of farm equipment. If we cannot manufacture farm equipment, but we depend largely on importation of farm equipment, where are we going? importation cannot, in any way, help us. Therefore, we need to go into mechanised farming. And with mechanised farming, we need to go into the production of farm equipment. This is where technological development comes in. We have to improve on our technology to a level where can produce farm equipment so that we do not have to import of everything.
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