By Matthew Denis
Kwara State Government has been urged to declare state of emergency in the agricultural sector most especially at the Local Government level.
Dr. Jimoh Mamoud of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Agency (LMRBDA) gave the charge in his speech at the colloquium organised by the Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria.
The colloquim was organised for stakeholders to set agenda for agricultural development and growth in Kwara State on Tuesday.
He said, ” The state of agricultural activities in the state is nothing to write home about. The Agricultural Development Project introduced in those days have gone. Low public investment is a major challenge in the agric sector.
“Infrastructural collapse in Kwara, lack of reliable data evaluation, inadequate machineries, lack of storage facilities among others have paralysed the agricultural sector in the state,” he lamented.
According to him, the way forward is for the new government to take proactive step by declaring a state of emergency to rejuvenate the system with good policies and manpower to drive the sector.
“What the new Kwara State government needs to do is to declare state of emergency most especially at the Local Government level in order to inject new programmes, manpower with requisite skills to deliver.
“Strengthening government with good policies, infrastructural development (Rural roads networking), improve mechanisation, purchasing tractors, planters and leasing them to genuine farmers not political farmers.
“Also land clearing, livestock development such as ranching and the agric ministry can key into the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) programme of the Nigeria Export Protection Council to avail commercial farmers the opportunity in processing their raw products into finished stage before exporting,” the expert added.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Ahmed Kastina Mohammed who declared the event opened, said the ministry has been directed by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to understudy the success recorded in some states like Zamfara, Kastina among others, to increase agricultural activities in the state.
“This present administration has called for cooperation and partnership by various stakeholders to collaborate in moving the state forward in agriculture.
Earlier, the state Chairman of the union, Dr. David Kayode Ehindero stressed that the aim of the event is to draw a template for the new state government on agric development and partnership strategy.
He said ” the purpose of the colloquium is to set agenda for the governor. We want our agriculture to have the capacity to feed its citizens and this can be achieved through an inclusive government involving all the stakeholders,” he noted.
