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From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Gombe State government has assured farmers in the state that it’s working towards addressing concerns regarding the state’s agricultural sector. Stating that plans are underway to that farmers experience a robust farming season in 2023 wet season and beyond.
According to the state government, preparation for the 2023 wet farming season has kicked off with the maintenance of tractors and other farming equipment as well as sensitisation of farmers across the state.
This was disclosed by the acting permanent secretary of the state’s Ministry of Agriculture and animal husbandry, Mr Ibrahim Yakubu, in an interview with Daily Sun in Gombe. He assured that the state government has plans to ensure the timely provision of fertiliser and other farming implements to farmers in the state.
The Gombe State chapter of Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) had decried the lack of access to Agricultural inputs, saying it has affected food production in the state.
Speaking during the presentation of the community scorecard on smallholder women farmers’ access to Agricultural inputs in Gombe, the Chairperson of SWOFON, Airudia Mamman, called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry to support members of the organisation with timely distribution of matured seeds, adding that it was key to attaining zero hunger.
She said, “The right time is now. We have started preparing for the rainy season what is next? We expect seeds, we want mature seeds, and we expect that the ministry will support us. It’s not everyone that has the money to buy early-matured seeds, that is why we want women to be empowered. When women are empowered it will improve the food production of the state, what we want is to get to zero hunger.”
While presenting the scorecard at the meeting which was organised by Hope Foundation for the Lonely (HFL) with support from ActionAid Nigeria, the Program Officer of HFL, Ballin James, said smallholder farmers dominate the Agricultural sector, adding that they produce 90 per cent of the produce.
She said, “Yet they have difficulties accessing Agricultural inputs. Women make up 70 per cent of agricultural labour, 50 per cent of animal husbandry-related activities, and 60 per cent of food processing activities.”
On her part, the Chief Executive Officer of HFL, Serah Yapwa, urged participants to scrutinise the scorecard which had inputs from women farmers across the 11 Local Government Areas of the state.
Yapwa said, “Even if it is negative it will keep us to scale up, it will help us to move forward we want to see progress in Agricultural activities in Gombe State. We want to see how women farmers will have access to input, without input there is no agriculture this is a beautiful time to look at it.”
The group also revealed that a low level of awareness of the government’s distribution of agricultural and farm inputs as well as the non-involvement of smallholder women farmers in design and implementation has been a major challenge in the sector.
“Low budgetary allocation to farm inputs in yearly agriculture budget. Lack of timely distribution of inputs to smallholder women farmers,” SWOFON said as it called on the state government to embark on an aggressive awareness campaign and to consult and involve smallholder women farmers in its design of inputs distribution model.
However, the acting Permanent Secretary stated that even though input has been a major challenge, the ministry recognises the importance of women farmers. He said, “With regards to inputs this has been a very serious problem because it can’t get to everybody but the present Commissioner has recognised the importance of women farmers in Gombe State, whatever that needs to be distributed to farmers in the state, SWOFON will be invited to the access their own from the ministry.”
He lauded the women farmers for involving the ministry in their activities while assuring of the ministry’s attempt to reciprocate in its programs as he assured that the ministry and the state government are working towards ensuring that farmers in the state experienced a robust farming season in the state.
