The Ministries of Agriculture at state and federal levels should begin to encourage the formation of farm, cooperative societies under the direct supervision of village and community leaders who are in position to identify the genuine farmers. Going further, all the members throughout the federation would be registered and made to enrol in the Biometric Verification Number (BVN).
With this method, loans, fertiliser, chemicals and other inputs will reach the real farmers, thereby eradicating middlemen, agro-contractors and ghost farmers. To give a financial muscle to this scheme in this time of austerity, the capital vote of both the state and federal ministries in the 2017 budget should be shared and credited directly into the accounts of all the members of the cooperatives. Hitherto, agric inputs, loans and budgets had been hijacked. Let’s give this proposal a try.
Nosa Osawaye: 08029418091