A small scale farmer, Bayo
Arogundade, has complained of lack of access to market information,
finance, hybrid seed and inputs capable of enhancing production, adding
that the government has neglected farmers.
Arogundade, who manage an 800-bird
poultry farm at Oko-Oba area of Agege in Lagos, maintained that nobody
cared about smallholder farmers who, he said, were rendered incapable
of making sufficient production.
He mentioned one of the challenges facing smallholder farmers as limited incentives to produce more than what is needed for their own livelihoods, adding: “This is primarily caused by the limited access to the inputs, support services, markets and credit, which would enable us to increase our production and sales volumes.”
He complained that most of the government’s intervention funds for the farmers and agribusiness operators were not accessible by the real players in the business as the funds were usually diverted to other things by those at the helm of the scheme.
Arogundade disclosed that even those who benefitted from the funds went through rigorous processes and received insufficient amounts that failed to boost their businesses.
Another farmer who has a small vegetable farm at Oko-Oba, Boladotun Agbaje, said he has severally tried to grow his business but lack of access to funds undermined his efforts.
He said accessing facilities was either too cumbersome or given on man-know-man basis.
Continuing, he said: “Government needs to properly monitor all the agric enhancement programmes embarked upon to make sure that the right people who really need these interventions are the ones befitting. A situation whereby everything is portrayed in the media as if the grassroots farmers are now having access to improved farming tools and grants is not too good when in the real sense we are still at the level we have been operating for decades.”[SOURCE: DAILY TRUST]
He mentioned one of the challenges facing smallholder farmers as limited incentives to produce more than what is needed for their own livelihoods, adding: “This is primarily caused by the limited access to the inputs, support services, markets and credit, which would enable us to increase our production and sales volumes.”
He complained that most of the government’s intervention funds for the farmers and agribusiness operators were not accessible by the real players in the business as the funds were usually diverted to other things by those at the helm of the scheme.
Arogundade disclosed that even those who benefitted from the funds went through rigorous processes and received insufficient amounts that failed to boost their businesses.
Another farmer who has a small vegetable farm at Oko-Oba, Boladotun Agbaje, said he has severally tried to grow his business but lack of access to funds undermined his efforts.
He said accessing facilities was either too cumbersome or given on man-know-man basis.
Continuing, he said: “Government needs to properly monitor all the agric enhancement programmes embarked upon to make sure that the right people who really need these interventions are the ones befitting. A situation whereby everything is portrayed in the media as if the grassroots farmers are now having access to improved farming tools and grants is not too good when in the real sense we are still at the level we have been operating for decades.”[SOURCE: DAILY TRUST]
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