‘Smallholder farmers have limited access to funds for agricultural development’

SMALLHOLDER farmers have lamented poor access to funds and facilities capable of boosting their productivity thereby guaranteeing agricultural development in Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, while speaking during the official launch of the Influencing Strategy, Farmers Manifesto and Commitment Pledge in Bauchi recently, Executive Director, Association of Small-Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), Bauch state chapter, Hajiya Amina Bala Jibrin, called on federal and state governments to direct at least 60 per cent of agricultural investments in budgets and intervention facilities to smallholder farmers and small-scale agribusinesses.

She noted that the call became imperative because of the persistent poor access by many small-scale farmers to various funds for agricultural development in the country.

Jibrin maintained that agriculture is the largest employer of labour in the country and deserves better funding to attract more investors to create employment and ensure food security. She said, “Over 70 per cent of Nigerians are engaged in agriculture, and many of them don’t even have access to fertilisers and labour-saving equipment. The small-scale farmers are more vulnerable.

“In the light of this and in view of the continuous nose-diving nature of budgetary allocations to the agriculture sector in the past few years, there should be visible efforts to increase allocation to the sector in line with the Maputo/Malabo commitments.”

Also, Jibrin urged governments at all levels to construct more rural infrastructure, especially roads from farming communities to markets to ease movement of farm produce. According to her, agriculture extension services delivery should be reformed to reduce the wide extension agent to farmer ratio, among others. “The reforms involve the restructuring of the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) as well as training and increasing the number of extension agents in the country,” she added. On his part, the Bauchi State Head of Civil Service (HoS), Adamu Yahuza Haruna, assured of the government ‘s support for farmers in the state.