Kogi women farmers appeal for farm inputs

 Women farmers, under the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), have called on the Kogi Government to assist them with farm inputs for the wet farming season.

The Kogi SWOFON Coordinator, Mrs Rukayat Ahmed, made the call at a news conference on Kogi State Approved Agriculture Budget, held in conjunction with Budget Committee and ActionAid Nigeria in Lokoja on Thursday.

Ahmed, who applauded the State Government’s 2024 budget of almost N1 billion for women farmers and youths, frowned at the non release of funds and farm inputs for the purpose.

“More worrisome is the delay in the release of farm inputs to farmers.

“Such a delay hampers our food production and we don’t want that at all.

“We are in March, yet we have not seen the fertilisers, seeds and seedlings, the tractors, chemicals and other important inputs for this year’s wet season farming.

“There is need for government to review existing policies and framework on agriculture in Kogi.

“It should urgently increase the allocation for purchase of farm inputs, such as organic fertilisers, improved seedlings and chemicals and subsidise the same for farmers in the state.

“It’s imperative that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security reviews the existing policies or possibly initiate a comprehensive policy framework that incorporates the change agenda of the administration to provide a good anchor and basis for budget formulation and implementation.

“There is need to increase funding to agricultural sector to meet the 10 per cent commitment of the Maputo Declaration.

“The increase should also be channelled to capital expenditure and increase in overheads that facilitate the realisation of the sector’s objectives,” Ahmed said.

She called for strengthening access to credit budget line for women and youths through consultants or consultancy firms to support women, youths and farmers living with disability cooperatives to be able to navigate the too cumbersome access to credit in the country.

According to her, the team or consultancy firm will handhold the cooperatives to access existing CBN agricultural credit facilities through preparing their business proposals, interfacing and negotiating with Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry, NIRSAL, commercial and microfinance banks.

The team or consultancy firm, she also said, would ensure that the cooperatives access such facilities and other services, like extension, insurance and even market access and be able to pay back at the end of each cycle.

On provision for post harvest losses, Ahmed said it was very necessary because Kogi suffers huge annual post-harvest losses with a share of N94.5 billion of the N3.5 trillion estimated annual national losses.

“Smallholder women farmers in Kogi have access to only 19.9 per cent processing facilities and 19.4 per cent storage facilities.

“This is a big gap and needs to be filled urgently with massive investment in cottage processing and storage facilities,” Ahmed said. (NAN)

By Thompson Yamput