NAN-AE-3
Farmers
By Kudirat Ogunyemi
Abuja, Nov. 25, 2016 (NAN) The National Coordinator, Zero Hunger Nigeria Commodity Association, Dr Tunde Arosanyin, on Friday advised the Federal Government to provide special funds to buy farmers’ products across the country.
Arosanyin, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, urged the Federal Government to buy up these products in order to have a reserve in case of shortage and to avoid high prices.
He said that essential commodities like rice, maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea among others should be mopped up and put in silo to be sold to the public in times of scarcity.
”If Government fails to do this, it means the farmers are exposed to sell directly to people that are coming from Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Benin Republic and other neighbouring countries.
”Though we have been supporting them (neighbouring countries) over the years; but it should be regulated so that we do not sell all our produce and then starve as a nation.
”We should work with data that is precise and accurate on our population and we must know our consumption capability, and if we are able to meet up our capability we can now sell our surplus,” he said.
The national coordinator said the measure would cushion the effect of the current inflation rate which the National Bureau of Statistic put at about 18.3 per cent.
He said that stakeholders should use the opportunity of the ongoing harvest period of crops by the farmers to plan for the future.
”The produce can be stored for the second quarter next year. From March to April, government can begin to release again to the market at subsidised prices to citizens.” (NAN)
ROK/MOL/IS
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi/Ismail Abdulaziz