Food Crisis: ADP managers set to revitalize agric extension delivery system, sends bill to National Assembly
*** Says high level strategic consultative meeting ongoing
***Urges governors to provide funds for agric extension activities
By David Okpashi
The Forum of Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP) Managers in Nigeria has expressed worries over the current food crisis in the country, blaming it on the dearth of agricultural extension delivery system in the country.
Speaking with journalists in Lafia, the Nasarawa state Capital, north central Nigeria, on the current food crisis and hunger, National Chairman of the forum, Emmanuel Manasseh Alanana said the forum was working to achieve the revitalization of Agricultural Extension Delivery system in Nigeria.
He said already, the forum has sent a bill to the National Assembly for consideration and passage to give a legal backing to the revitalization of agric extension delivery system abandoned decades ago as one sure way to achieve food suffiency in Nigeria.
Mr Alanana disclosed that measures are being put in place to address the food crisis and hunger in the country.
Alanana who doubles as the Nasarawa State Agricultural Development Programmes Manager explained that the bill when passed and assented to by the President will open up more window for agricultural activities, encourage farmers to return to farm and increase food production.
He announced further plans to establish an extension trust fund to energize the revitalization of the agric extension delivery system that would also raised all year farming system.
“We have held a strategic high level meetings with Commissioners of agriculture, permanent secretaries in the Ministry of Agriculture in the 36 states of the federation. The next level of the meeting will be with the governors in order for them to buy into the revitalization policy.
“We must go back to agriculture not just agriculture but embrace the extension delivery system to guaranteed good security. Extension Revitalization policy will not only address the crisis of food insufficiency but provide the essentials for food production”, Alanana stated.
The ADP Forum Programme Managers Chairman while appealing to the governors to provide certain percentage of allocations to agriculture in their various states added that once governor’s key into the system, food production would receive a boost.
Emmanuel Alanana who however blamed the food crisis, hunger majorly on inconsistency on policy formulation on agriculture by some governor’s in Nigeria, called for prompt release of funds meant for Agricultural activities.
According to the Nasarawa State ADP Manager, ” government should change it’s policy on dry season farming left in the hands of peasant farmers to a more mechanized system for increase food production”.
He called for the employment of new and more extension workers, adequate funding of agric activities including provision of mobility and expressed optimism that the insecurity occasioned by banditry, killing and kidnapping of farmers which has added to the food crisis by in the country would soon be a thing of the past.