Wrong timing for maize importation

A news report published by one of the nation’s media houses last week had it that farmers were afraid as a result of maize importation.

This, for me and many others, came as a rude shock. If what the governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari and Senator Adamu Aliero said was true, the government should henceforth stop paying lip service to the diversification of the economy. The blame should also go to the doorsteps of the Federal Government if our farmers incur losses at the end of this year’s farming season.

It amounts to double standard and shame to our policymakers to encourage farming but grant permission to importers of maize. Already, many farmers have expressed fear that if maize is imported massively into the country, it would not only crash the market price of the product, but also erode the gains made in the sector in the last two years.

In the midst of global crash in the prices of oil, the need for the government to diversify the economy becomes imperative. In the last two years, we have seen how the sector provided hundreds of thousands of jobs to our youths. It also increased GDP to 24.18 per cent in 2016. This appreciable development would be eroded if the government allowed importation of grains into the country. There is no gainsaying the fact that many people have turned to farming in recent time. The momentum needs to be sustained not frustrated. Farmers have answered the call of Buhari’s administration and are committed to meet the 20 million of tonnes target.

With this sad news of importation of maize, the new farmers and old ones alike will be forced out the business. The negative economic repercussions are many. It will create unemployment to our teeming youths. Besides that, the much-talked about food self-sufficiency slogan of the Federal Government will not be realised.

The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, halt this planned massive importation of maize in order to encourage local farming and achieve food sustainability.

• Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua, Kaduna State.