FARMERS in Aniocha South Local Government Area have called on the leadership of the local government to fund food production.
Some of the farmers who spoke to Ogwashi-Uku Metro emphasized that with the improved allocation now sent to local governments, the leadership of the council can invest in agriculture through the procurement of farming equipment and fund for farmers.
They argued that development of agriculture should be one of the key areas local government should show interest, saying that they are more closer to the grassroots.
A cucumber producer, Amaechi Okekeke in a chat with Ogwashi-Uku Metro explained that farmers in the locality are not supported in the production of foodstuffs.
He lamented that without adequate support from government, meeting the food needs of the masses would not be easy to achieve. “This is a fact we must face. I can tell you that we are farmers in the local area are not been supported as we are supposed to.
“A situation where you have to do everything in the area of financing and procurement of necessary seedlings and herbicides makes the sector uninteresting. Sometimes you do hear those in government saying that people are not producing food.
“How much can someone who’s dependent on personal effort produce. In various countries of the world, government at all levels support farmers with grants and all they need to achieve food sufficiency.
“Recently, I was watching a television news where the Chinese government is saying they want to enact laws that will enable their people to consume more of the food they are producing.
“If the Chinese government is saying they are over producing the need of their people and wants them to eat more of what they are producing, is Nigeria even producing one per cent of the food the country needs? The answer is no. “The question is why? Simply that we are not supported to do so by the government of the day, especially the local government. Therefore, it is time local governments begins to budget for agriculture and make it realistic. “We have seen situations where political office holders overnight turn to farmers simply because, federal government wants to release grant to farmers. That is not how it should be. Farmers should be supported to produce foods”, he said.
Charles Chiedu, a watermelon farmer, corroborating the assertion of the first respondent noted that the state government and local government should partner and make agricultural sector a priority area.
“Apart from the fact that we are not getting the necessary support we need from government; we also have a problem of sourcing for good market. It is not enough for us to produce; government should build storages in local governments where these products can be preserved.
“As a people, we are lacking in everything; from poor leadership to poor followership. But if the leadership is right, it will give direction to its followers. It is only in Nigeria the leadership only makes demands on the people without thinking of the people’s welfare.
“This is one of the major problem that we are facing in the agricultural sector. Give the people the incentive to work, they will not do so, yet, the people are expected to produce foods. That is not how it should be”, he stressed.
