Amid the rising prices of food and scarcity in the country, the Benue State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), has commended the State Government for taking the initiative to ensure food sufficiency through subsidies.
The government has lately provided subsidies on fertilizer, farm implements as well as encouragement of loan schemes for small scale businesses through cooperative societies.
The association also commended the State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, on the directive that all local government executives as well as key ministries and parastatals of government come up with sustainable models and methods of ensuring that Benue state retains its title as the “Food Basket of the Nation.”
The association’s position was contained in a communique issued on behalf of the 23 local government caretaker chairmen from the state at the end of a two-day sensitisation workshop on the “Role of the Local Government at Enhancing the Capacity of the Federal Government’s Food Security Emergency Programme.”
The workshop was facilitated by the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation and SEGNIP promotions in Abuja.
The ALGON maintained that the advocacy for Nigerians to eat what they grow is already long overdue, stressing that Benue state is already on the way to ensuring that there is a geometric increment in crop production, despite the state of insecurity and hard economic realities in the country.
The resolution signed by the state ALGON which consists of 23 council executives , under the leadership of Hon.Phillips Achua (Konshisha Local Government chairman ) pointed out that Benue state records highest in terms of yam production in Nigeria and that over 200 trucks of yam are loaded daily from the Zaki-Biam market alone.
It added that the federal government should consider more interventions and affordability of farming requirements such that would help to migrate farmers from peasant to mechanised farming .
The association, while commending the giant steps of Alia for his commitment to boost agriculture through the various incentives and security measures to protect farmers from incessant attacks, also called on the federal government to intervene in the areas of food storage facilities and also make fruit-yielding seed crops that will guarantee all year-farming available to Benue farmers.
It suggested the execution of buy-back policies that will feed the National Grain Reserve stations, given that Benue state has the right soil texture, climate and human resources to feed substantial part of Nigeria.
If further urged the federal government to support the initiatives of the state government to fully utilise its agricultural potential.
The ALGON commended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume and SEGNIP chief Executive, Engr Kayode Adegbayo, for putting together a programme that speaks to the core issues of food security, cutting down on food importation, which will reduce poverty and improve the Nigeria growth domestic products.
It noted, “So, to this end, we commend our state Governor, Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for his purposeful leadership of the state , he is already doing great things in the areas of insecurity which is one sure way of ensuring agricultural upward trend as well as providing the embarking environment for local farming and on our part we will continue to support him and the Federal Government to achieve the desired goals.
“Benue is a rich agricultural region; this is not in dispute ,because popularly grown crops include; oranges, mangoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, soya bean, guinea corn, flax, yams, sesame, rice, groundnuts, and Palm tree.
“All the people need is encouragement which the state is doing but the state can’t do that alone. We need the Federal Government to step in the provision of modern farming equipments. We believe that if all of these opportunities are harnessed Nigeria will be done and dusted with food importation.”
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