RIFAN Calls For Roundtable To Curb Food Inflation

The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Lagos State Chapter, has called on the federal and state governments to hold a roundtable with farmers to address food insecurity.

Mr Raphael Hunsa, RIFAN’s Chairman, made the call in an interview on Tuesday in Lagos.

Hunsa said the roundtable should focus on developing strategies to address the present food inflation in the country and increase support to farmers.

He said the food inflation in the country required collective measures that would yield long lasting solutions to the food security strategy of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said the government must urgently engage farmers through the registered farmers’ associations on challenges impeding production.

He noted that the leadership of farmers’ associations were not being carried along in majority of the decisions taken on behalf of the farmers.

According to him, government must work with the farmers to achieve success.

“We are not being invited to majority of their programmes, we need to have a roundtable with the government because we know what is required to improve our productivity and not government dictating and giving us what they think we want.

“Farmers need continuous support on input, seedlings, chemicals and machinery to continue to produce food all-year-round and meet the nation’s demand.

“In the past, even when meetings were held, the implementation of recommendations didn’t come immediately; most times, we may not get anything,” he said.

The RIFAN chairman urged government to devise a mechanism to track and monitor various interventions targeted at farmers to ensure that they reached the intended beneficiaries.

He noted that a bag of locally produced rice cost over N70,000 in the market, adding that cost of production, transportation, milling and packaging were contributing factors to the soaring price of the commodity.

“Few days ago, I got a call from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security that they had brought some input to be distributed to farmers in Lagos, but I have not received any call in that regards.

“I believe that being the chairman of my association, I ought to have been informed to facilitate how our members will receive theirs.

“When the official asked if we have received, I said no, we have not received any support yet,” he said.

According to him, if the government wants farmers to produce rice for the state, they must get support from time to time.

“When we don’t get support on input, seedlings, chemicals and machinery, how do we produce enough food for the country.

“My advice for the government is to hold a roundtable with the real farmers and whatever is discussed the outcome or memorandum should be implemented immediately,” he said.

Speaking on distribution of grain by the federal government to the citizens, the RIFAN chairman said the situation had gone beyond grain distribution.

According to him, grain distribution will not solve the present food inflation in the country, “We need to go back to the farm and start producing food en-mass.

“Imagine the government gave me one bag of rice and I have eight people in my own nuclear family, how long will it take a family of eight to finish a bag of rice in the present situation.

“The palliative may not last more than one month or two in my house and I will still buy Garri, bean and other food items to support it.

“There’s nothing government would distribute that will be beneficial than to empower more farmers to produce more food and that would in turn give glory to the government.”

The RIFAN’s chairman urged the Lagos state government to engage and work more with rice farmers in the state to increase the paddy production capacity.

He said if all the bottlenecks were addressed, farmers in the state could produce more paddy for the state’s rice mill.

“The Lagos rice mill in Imota is there, constructed with billions of Naira, now the government wants to be sourcing rice paddy from the north, this is not right.

“Whereas rice farmers in Lagos are more than 1,000 and we have arable land to produce rice, but all we need is resources and continuous support from government.

“If government cannot empower farmers how long will it continue to give palliatives to the citizens. Palliatives will not solve the long-term problem.

“Remember that last year, a similar palliative was distributed to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal and naira redesign policy, how much difference did they make?” he asked.

He said until the government addressed the economic challenges, stabilised the foreign exchange market, provided incentives for farmers, addressed unemployment rate and insecurity, the country would continue to move in circles.

The rice farmer urged governments to emulate strategies adopted by other developed countries to tackle food crisis and ensure sustainability.

“In countries where food is sufficient, the government provides support to farmers regularly.

“Government subsidises almost everything for farmers to enable them produce food sufficiently.

“They should provide everything we need from machinery, input, seedlings, chemicals and training.

“We need planter, harvester, borehole or irrigation system, tractor, power-tiller, cultivator, bulldozer, pumping machine and hybrid seedlings. 

 

 

 

 

 

NAN/Oyenike Oyeniyi