HADEJIA – The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to include farmers in the supply and distribution channels of its fertiliser programme.
Alhaji Idris Maiunguwa, the Vice President of the association (Arable 1), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia, Jigawa.
The Federal Government distributes assorted fertilisers, seeds and other inputs to the farmers under the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme.
GES, a critical component of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA), is designed to enhance farmers’ access to fertiliser, seed and other input through the Short Message Service (SMS), otherwise called ‘e-wallet’.
Maiunguwa said it was imperative to include farmers in the selection of companies supplying fertiliser to them, to ensure the supply and distribution of high quality fertiliser, seeds and chemicals to farmers.
“We have cases whereby some certified dealers are supplying low grade and adulterated fertiliser to farmers.
“The federal government should allow farmers to participate in the selection process to check the trend and ensure sustainability of the programme,” he said.
Maiunguwa commended government for the introduction of GES, saying it had assisted smallholder farmers and enhance availability of the commodities at the grassroots.(NAN)
