Jigawa Farmers Accuse Agro Dealers Of Sabotaging FG’s Agricultural Scheme

By  Ayodele Oni

Farmers in Jigawa State have accused agro dealers of sabotaging the Federal Government’s National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS&AP) programme.

A report monitored on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, (FRCN) Kaduna, stated that the farmers made the allegations while speaking to journalists during a monitoring exercise conducted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture at distribution centers in Dutse and Miga Local Government Areas.

They expressed concern that delay in the distribution of agricultural inputs could result in significant losses, thereby undermining the government’s efforts to achieve food security in the country.

The farmers alleged that some agro dealers were involved in recycling the inputs, using agents to purchase the distributed items immediately after farmers receive them.

According to them, “These inputs are reportedly stored for other beneficiaries, forcing many farmers to wait for over ten days to access their shares”

The State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Jigawa, Sale Saidu, explained that the programme was aimed at supporting small-scale farmers to produce substantial food for both the state and the nation.

He stated that under the scheme, farmers were provided with fertilisers, agrochemicals, and improved seeds at subsidised rates to reduce their reliance on loans.

Saidu pointed out that, the programme targets 80,000 farmers across the state, but only 60,000 have been registered so far.

“The distribution of inputs, particularly for wheat farming, was planned for a two-week period but has been hampered by ICT network issues and delays in transporting inputs to distribution centres”

“The ministry is working hard to improve the situation for easy access to the inputs”

He urged farmers to cooperate with them as efforts were being made to address the challenges.

He also encouraged farmers to use the inputs appropriately to achieve the programme’s objectives.

He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, to boosting food production in the country.

The NAGS&AP initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to ensure sustainable food production and agricultural development across Nigeria.