Agency tells Nigerian Government, to protect farmers to boost production

Executive Director of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Ilorin, Mr Muideen Yomi Kasali, has canvassed a more robust security network for Nigerian farmers as planting season commences in some parts of the country.

Kasali, while reviewing threats to farming and consequences on food availability in Nigeria, said the insecurity is enormous and could spark off famine in the country.

He spoke in Ilorin at the NCAM-sponsored training on ‘Skill Acquisition in Agricultural Machinery/Operation and Maintenance.’
He was represented by Mrs M.B. Makanjuola, Deputy Director, Soil and Water Department of NCAM.

About 50 participants, drawn from different states, were trained in farm mechanization and other skills.

According to him, “as we prepare for general elections in Nigeria, we need to equally realize the importance of food production if we must survive as a nation. Food production is a long-term scheme that requires meticulous planning. We need this to avoid famine as a nation.”

“Many farmers by now are ready to go to farm, but the majority of them are afraid of insecurity on their farms, thus making them to shun farming. The Federal Government is doing its best to secure our forests. But it can’t do it alone. It will require the assistance of our traditional rulers and our local hunters.”

For Kasali, many Nigerian state governments were allegedly underutilizing the “great potential” at NCAM, boasting of numerous machines and tools the institute had designed and fabricated for the use of large scale farmers in and around the country.

The Guardian