Agriculture: women group urges FG to implement Malabo declaration
NAN-AE-11
Agriculture
By Martha Agas
Jos, Nov. 22, 2016 (NAN) The Smallholder Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to implement the Malabo declaration to boost agricultural production in the country.
The declaration, made by Heads of African States in Malabo, Equitorial Guinea, suggests that every member country should invest “at least 10 per cent of its annual budget in agriculture”.
Mrs. Mary Afan, the Plateau Coordinator of SWOFON, made the call on Tuesday in Jos, at a forum organised to review Plateau state’s policy on agriculture.
She observed that budgets of Plateau, and the country in general, had not complied with the Malabo declaration, a situation she said had led to shortage and high cost of food items.
According to her, a section of the declaration also specified that women small holder farmers should be involved in policy formulation and implementation
“We contribute at least 80 per cent of the labour force in the agricultural sector, so our relevance in policy formulation cannot be undermined,’’ Afan said.
She alleged that women were being frustrated from accessing agricultural loans and inputs for rural farming.
“ We, the real farmers are left out; policy makers prefer to give the loans to ‘political farmers,’’ she alleged.
In an address at the forum, Mrs. Rufina Gurumyen, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, tasked women to empower themselves rather than wait for government.
The commissioner, who was represented by Mrs. Charity Dimlong, Director for Women Affairs in the ministry, expressed worry that some women groups were sabotaging the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme.
Gurumyen explained that the programme had facilities for micro credits without collateral.
Mrs. Lyop Wanson, a participant at the forum, urged relevant authorities to reduce the levies on cooperative societies so as to boost their participation in the food production chain. (NAN)
MAA/ORO/ECN/ETS
Edited by Emmanuel Nwoye and Ephraims Sheyin