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Th~rty-Four
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complained bitterly about the non-inclusion of farmers in the pre and postpresidential election violence investigation panel, recently inaugurated by the president, why do you think it is necessary to have them in the panel?
Posi e.lection ' VlO · 1ence
N1gerlan · · f I .t armers OS N557m Mad1iDin _
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Sunday Tribune, 22 May, 2011 ported to us. We depend on Norway to bring us dried stockfish which has no nutritional value. When we are su pposed to be the biggest leather exporting country, Nigeria consumes her leather under the guise of a baptismal n am e ca lled Ponmo. A complete skin collected from one cow has the capacity to provide sandals for 15 school children. These are not good stories. What do you think foreign governments are doing to enhance food security and availability of experts, which
No farmer, no future. No nation calls itself a nation w hen it cannot feed its ci tizens, that nation loses its sovereignty and therefore · is not worthy of calling _ itself a nation. 'l L The recent post-election violence that _ _ _ to.nJLpJacejanru:thi!nLNige.cia .de'lAS: _~===~~====-==-==-====-====:-:=~_~-~could be recommended for the Federal tated crop production, livestock produc- Enginee~ ShedraCk Mad.lion is tl\e- ExerutiveDfrecfor-Go~J b d ~-- ~-----~-- - - - -:tion, food transporta tion, food packag• • . • • •• ,. a a y can come mto our cOllntry to . ing and the food market. AdmIral EnVIronmental Care LlIDlted. In this onlme solve our problems on food securi ty; that The Ful anis in the North, who were interview with Assistant ·Editor JACKSON UDOM has to be sorted out by us. The country, ' . ' which is blessed with high yielding armoving their cattle from the North to the South, were caught up in the violence he speaks on the losses recorded by farmers In the Able farmlands, should not expect exand herds of cattle were lost and dis- post-election violence the country's lack of direction ternal intervention. We are not Ethiopia, placed. . . ' . . •• we are not Eritrea, neither are we Sudan. The Bauchi fatmers moving vegetables In food production and the Impending food CrISIS If we take food security very serious, we wiU be able to feed ourselves and enable such as water melon, cucumber and sor- that may hit the country. Excerpts: the required value chain to revive our ghum had their vehicles burnt and hence did not get to their destination. ". " ailing industries. The Ebonyi basket makers had pre.L ~ Why do you think young school • "iI ~ ~"' I ' pared the baskets fo r tomato packaging •• ' leavers are not interested in takfor use in Kaduna, but their vehicles ing up farming as a profession ,de- • were intercepted and burnt on entering spite the fact that the sector alone Kad una . can employ a large number of unMarkets we re shu t down because of employed youth? the curfew, so crops deli vered in the Agriculture is perceived as an OCCll markets to be sold by farmers perished pation for those who have fa iled in their and were lost. How can these be ascerurban pursuit. Farmers in Nigeria are tained without the inclusion of practisthose who wear tattered clothes, whose ing farmers in the committee to ascerlives end around bicycles and motorcycles and these are the perceptions tain the level of loses suffered by the farmers that help feed the nation? youths have about fa rmers an d farmCan you quantify in monetary terms ing in Nigeria. It is left for the media what the farmers lost before, during and organisations, like yours and others and after the crisis? the ministries of agriculture and inforThe monumental loss was valued to mation to unlock this mind-set. the tune of N557,337,229. This fi g ure If you are the president, what would was arrived at through feedbacks in 17 you do to ensure that agriculture is taken seriously by the youth as a way ofreducstates using our toll-free lines that were open to farm ers to call in and our iningthehighinddenceofunemployment? spectors were there on the field to have If I am the Nigeria' s President, I a first-hand experience of wha t hapwould feed the remaining 53 countries that make up Africa, because out of the pened. It was an environmental genocide that took place. 36 natural resources God has given to .. Are you saying that farmers should man, Nigeri a has 34 in commercial also be compensated for their losses just quantities. 1 would put up agricultural like the families of the slain corps memsupport centers throughout the nooks bers? and crannies of Nigeria. I would put up There is ~ comprehensive need fo r a solid policy on agricultural developgovernment to co me up w ith a sound ment in all primary and post-primary schools across the country and make if policy on unity among livestock farmers and arable fat·mers to reduce clashes compulsory. I would de-emphasise import subsidy and put emphasis on outas a result of non-deSign and designation of grazing at·eas in the country. put subsidy. I wou ld go back to the old Adequate compensa tion must be put design programme of the late Premier in place, not monetary, but on inputs of Northern Region, the late Sardauna such as; improved variety crops, simple of Sakata, Sir Ahmadu Bello, which took farm tools for the affected farmers and "We spent oveT $12 billion on food impoTtation beagriculture to its highest point between 1964 and 1975. And finally, I would recyoung heifers, male and female. Rural farm settlements should be rebuilt un- tween 2009 and 2011, whereas we have the capacity to ommend that the president should deder the Presidential Rural Participation pToduce for our citizens and eXpoTt to the Test of the vote some attention to forma l agricu lScheme (PRPS). woTld. We depend on Thailand fOT rice, we depend on tural training. Many people who are apDo you think government is doing pointed by the president to steer the secenough to support food production and BUTkina-Faso fOT beans, we d~pend on Spain fOT tinned tor are just there by appointment and preservation and also in the aspect of tomatoes, we depend on Sweden and Chinese compa- they lack the passion required to keep enhancing the economic well-being of ru'es LO'" "ouen l'ced fish ..... no ..ted to us TATe de'nend on the sector vibrant. farmers in the country? ~I .... Lt' ...... ·r .. . Vt'l r People have been predicting For the past 25 years, successive govNorway to bring us dried stock fish which has no nu- that in the next few years, Nigeria ernments have been paying lip service tTitional value." would face a major food crisis beta food. production. Their concerns only cause of the complete neglect of end up in fertilizer importation. They food items when it is blessed with good the sector by successive governments and the donot se·e theneed toreplace aging farmerswith young ·weather and manpower? country's preference for imported goods. Do farmers, strengthen the research institutions to work That is the question the government and even all you share in that belief? with our extension officers, to develop the concept of Nigerians have to answer. We· spent over $U billion Yes. It is now, not in few years to come. When a pot o~e .community, one product. I ca." tell yo.u that 1.00 on food importation between 2009 and 2011, whereas of rice is prepared, 45% of what is used is imported, .••~~... million dollars was spent on the unpor.tatlon of [Ice we have the· capacity to produce for our citizens and not locally grown. If bread or cake is baked, 75% of its . last ye~. Why w~uld a go~er~en; tJ,at trul~ h~.s ':'; . ~~~poit,'.t(j the rest of the world. We depend on Thailarid constituents is imported. Until we beg in to look interest m farmers well-bemg and {dod pt odUffion·... for rice, we depend on Burkina-Faso for beans, we de- w,nd on food ·production, ·to be able to produce our spend so much money ~por.ting f?od int~ Nigeri.a? pend on Spain for tinned tomatoes, we depeJ).d on Swe- wheat, grow enough fish for our citizens, provide adBut why would NIgerIa still be Importing den and Chinese companies for rotten iced fish irn- equate livestock, we will lose our sovereignty.
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