agriculture
Food: Campaign for Democracy tasks FG on security
The Niger chapter of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) has urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts in tackling banditry and kidnapping across the country to ensure food security.
Alhaji Abdullahi Jabi, state Chairman, CD made the call during an interview with ROYAL NEWS on Saturday in Minna.
Jabi decried a situation where many farmers across the country had fled their ancestral homes and farm lands, to live in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and urban areas, leaving their farming activities.
“Go across the country today, you will find out that our farmers are no longer engaged in their farms.
“This is to avoid being kidnapped, killed or raped by these hoodlums who have taken over their homes and farmlands,” he said.
He warned that there might be food crisis, if proactive measures were not taken to tackle insecurity in the country.
“There may be food shortage because farming activities have reduced drastically, as farmers can no longer go to their farms as a result of fear of being attacked,” he said.
The CD chairman urged the government to come up with practical framework to develop the agriculture sector.
“The Federal Government should come up with policy framework toward providing more subsidies to support farmers for agricultural productions.
“Agriculture is the mainstay of many economies today because human beings must eat to stay alive, so agri-business is thriving.
“There is need for Nigeria to invest heavily in agriculture to create employment, wealth, revenue for government and also to sustain the sector,” he said.
ROYAL NEWS reports that the Federal Government had put in place interventions such as the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) and Farmers Money.
Others were collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and FADAMA, among others to support the farmers and develop the agriculture sector.
Contact: info@royalnews.com.ng
