Federal Government along with farmers, particularly in the South-West, has been praised for the reduction in food commodity prices nationwide.
However, while the praise resounded, others maintained that the reduction in prices was only beneficial to the consumers, as they, being farmers, had to bear the brunt of the cost.
In Monday’s survey in Oyo, Ogun, and Kwara States, respondents, therefore, called for a collaboration that would make all stakeholders wear smiling faces.
Mr Adewumi Abas, South-West Coordinator, All Farmers Association of Nigeria ,AFAN, appreciated the FG’s importation plan, saying it went a long way in making food available at reduced prices.
Abas, who is also the Oyo State AFAN Chairman, said that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration allowed the importation to make life easier for the people.
“The result is what we are currently experiencing on food prices”, he said.
He also appreciated the farmers for their cooperation with government policies and objectives, thus contributing to the current decrease in food prices.
Abas, while acknowledging that farmers still battle the continuous hike in prices of farm inputs, promised that farmers would continue to make food available at affordable prices.
To this end, he appealed to AFAN members not to hoard farm produce, while praying the government at all levels to positively influence the prices of farm inputs.
According to him, farmers are still waiting for more government policies and interventions.
“We appeal to the government to assist farmers in the area of security challenges, especially as we are gradually entering into the dry season”, he said.
The farmers’ coordinator called on the FG to tighten security, saying that farmers were still being confronted with farmer-herder clashes.
He also called for government assistance in establishing farm villages with irrigation facilities to enable farmers to cultivate year-round.
“We are not asking the government to establish the farm villages free of charge, but to be given to farmers at an agreed price to give room for availability of farm produce round the year, without leaving out any planting season”, he said.
Abas said farmers in the South-West had attended a series of training on farm produce storage and processing, aimed at reducing post-harvest losses.
He praised both the federal and state governments for the training.
“Some farmers are now going into the processing of farm produce and practicing all chains of value addition, especially on yams, cassava, perishable foods, among others, to reduce post-harvest losses”, he said.
According to him, the government is, during this harvesting period, mopping up surplus food commodities into strategic grain reserves across the country to encourage farmers.
“Garri is currently being mopped up into the grain reserves across Nigeria because there is a surplus in cassava during this harvesting period,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Adetunji Samson, Oyo State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ,FMAFS, attributed the reduction in prices of food commodities to the FG’s intervention.
He identified the provision of improved security, training, and farmers’ empowerment with improved technology as some of the interventions.
Samson disclosed that many farmers, who were formerly in Internally Displaced Persons ,IDP, Camps, had returned to their villages for farming activities due to improved security.
