…as govt says agric support not for portfolio farmers
Women in Rivers State have come together to fight back high food prices, pledging to bring prices down below 50%.
They however demanded farm implements to begin mechanized farming which they promised to launch in some weeks.
This is as the State Government vowed not to deal with those it called, ‘portfolio farmers’, saying their already packaged heavy agric support was for real farmers.
Women farmers under the aegis of Women in Farming and Agro-Allied Support Network (WIFAASN), who paid a solidarity visit to Governor Sim Fubara at Government House, Port Harcourt, told the governor to them with support mechanization.
Speaking in Port Harcourt,
Glory Coker, national coordinator of WIFAASN, said their visit was to intimate the governor on their desire to go into mechanized farming to ensure food sufficiency in the State.
She said the move would in no small measure reduce the cost of living experienced in the State, but she solicited for the Government’s assistance to achieve set goals.
She said, “We are already farmers, but we want to go into mechanized farming in the State to make sure that if egg is N5,000 in the market, we want to bring it down to N2,500. If garri is N5,000 in the market, we want to bring it down to N1,200. So, we want to go into farming, and by the support of the government, we know that Rivers women are going to make it.
“We want the Governor to support us. If it is garri, we want him to give us garri processing machine. We need fertilizer. We need seedlings,” she added.
Also speaking, Ihuoma Eze, the state coordinator of WIFAASN, explained that the State chapter of the organization would be launched on Saturday, July 20, 2024, and solicited for logistics support to ensure the success of the programme.
Responding, Governor Sim Fubara said Rivers State is rolling out heavy packages to support agriculture from the next budget, but that it was not for those he called portfolio farmers.
Instead, Governor Sim Fubara said the package would go directly to real farmers no matter how ordinary they looked.
The governor made these startling revelations on Monday and tasked the entire people of Rivers State to venture into agriculture in order to mitigate the impact of high cost of living and to feed the State.
He maintained that agriculture would be accorded top priority in 2025 budget to achieve the agriculture policies of the Government for the people of the State.
Represented by the Rivers State Head of Service, George Nweake, Governor Fubara hinted that the agriculture policies of his administration have already been perfected, waiting for the time of execution and implementation.
He said, “We will not give it to people who don’t have farms. We will not deal with portfolio farmers. We will not throw it in the air for the fastest person to catch it. No. If the best person in farming is a lame person, he will get it. Even if a sprinter is there, the sprinter will not be able to reach it. We are going to do things that will have a human face.”
The governor admitted that the state was rich in agric potentials but said these have been neglected over the years.
The new drive in the State, he noted, was also in line with the pet project of Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the President of Nigeria, named; “Agricultural Support Programme” and “Every Home a Garden”.
These projects within the Renewed hope Agenda of the present administration, are said to be aimed at supporting women farmers nationwide to strengthen the agricultural sector of the economy.
He said research had shown that the State is rich in fruits but that these are not in the market. He urged every woman who came out to march to produce at least one bag of garri.
He commended members of the organization for their resolve to venture into farming and ensure food sufficiency in the State, and urged them to put their house in order and reach out to the Ministry of Agriculture to incorporate them into the government’s agriculture initiative.
Also speaking, Victor Kii, Commissioner for Agriculture, thanked members of the organization for the visit, noting that it demonstrated their commitment and dedication to the welfare of the State.
Kii hinted that the governor recently approved the State’s participation in the special Agro-Processing Zone Project, which he said, would commence soon.
Roseline Adawari Uranta, Commissioner for Women Affairs, noted the concerns of the first family on the plight of Rivers people and the decision to use agriculture to fight back.
