The Kogi Government on Wednesday, tasked farmers on large scale food production and security to overcome poverty, hunger and challenges.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Timothy Ojoma, gave the challenge at the Presentation and Dissemination of Scorecard on Smallholder Women Farmers Access to Agricultural Inputs and Training in Lokoja.
Ojoma said: “Mechanisation of agricultural production activities is vital for massive food production, food security and overcoming hunger, poverty and hardship amongst citizens.
“This is why this administration under the leadership of Gov. Usman Ododo, is poised to support and empower smallholder women farmers through mechanisation to help attain food sufficiency in Kogi.
“We will continue to do everything possible to provide empowerment for women farmers to boost their productivity and income earnings.”
He disclosed that the state government would soon embark on biometric data capturing of all farmers in the state to ease decision making and access to farmers in their numbers and categories.
According to him, through such available data, it will be easier to know where, when, type and quantity of inputs needed by farmers to boost food production.
Presenting the Scorecard, Hamza Aliyu, Executive Director, Initiative for Grassroots Advancement in Nigeria (INGRA), said the state ought to make more impact on smallholder farmers through provision of agricultural inputs.
“Kogi ranks high on food inflation index in the country,. This is because it is not giving adequate assistance to smallholder farmers who produce over 70 per cent of food supply in the state.
“Unfortunately, inadequate budgeting for the agricultural sector and non release of budgetary provisions to lack of extension services, inputs and training among others, affect food production.”
Mr Matthias Okpanachi, Chairman of Kogi Budget Committee Group (BCG), in his opening remarks, underscored the critical importance of scorecard dissemination with focus on smallholder women farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and training in Kogi.
According to him, women farmers play pivotal roles in the nation’s agriculture sector, contributing significantly to food security, rural development and economic growth.
Okpanachi advocated for small holder women farmers to have equitable access to quality agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, tools and technologies.
This, he said, would enhance their productivity, improve crop yields and ultimately boost their income levels.
Earlier, Hajia Rukayat Ahmed, Coordinator, Kogi Chapter of Small-Scale Women Farmers in Nigeria, said the programme was targeted at boosting food security as well as alleviating poverty and hunger.
This, she said, is through analysis of the scorecard to chart the way forward.
Ahmed appealed to government at all levels to give priority to empowerment of women farmers through adequate and timely provision of inputs and training to enable them make the desired impact in food production.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised by Kogi chapter of the small-scale women farmers in Nigeria in partnership with Kogi BCG, with support from ActionAid Nigeria. (NAN)
