Monarchs list impediments to sustainable agricultural growth in FCT

A cross section of traditional rulers from Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory have cited lack of access to long term agricultural financing and credit for small scale farmers as some of the causes of under-performance in the agricultural sector.

They also pointed fingers on the menace of Fulani herdsmen, otherwise known as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria FCT chapter, whose feeding points are always at the farmer’s crops, which has remained unabated as the other reason.

They made the observation in a major survey conducted by The Abuja Times, saying Abuja is fast becoming one of the most developed cities in Africa, losing its lands to structural developers and thinking less of future means of feeding its inhabitants.

One of the Chiefs, HRH Etsu of Dafara, Chief Joseph Makeri, said that there is virtually no form of assistance or training for small scale farmers in the rural areas.

He also identified marketing limitations such as poor infrastructure, costly erratic energy supply and the hazards of Fulani herdsmen as factors government must address to boost agriculture production in rural areas.

Makeri said there can be no talk of giving loans to farmers if the problem posed by Fulani herdsmen is not addressed.

Recall that leadership of the Fulani herdsmen in the FCT had vowed never to heed to the voice of the administration asking them to flee and stop pasturing in the FCT without a reasonable Grazing reserves for them in the territory.

The Etsu of Dafara said: “Only recently, the present administration has introduced the state into the World Bank project, which he also said cannot be sustained, when only infinitesimal of the Abuja residents have access to the programme due to lack of publicity and no money to key into the progeamme.

How do you want us to get to know what has not been brought to us by the authority. We are hearing everything on the pages of the newspaper. We heard that the World Bank is bringing money but we still have lots of problems to make agriculture a lasting project in the FCT and that is the issue of Fulani herdsmen”.

He bemoaned the lackluster posture of the present administration in bringing a lasting solution to the ugly incident, stressing that people in the localities are always living in fear.

“Of cause you and I know too well why we are crying out now. That is because the new farming season is approaching. Everyone knew what happened last year when the Fulani herdsmen carried out a terrible attack on the residents of Kuje Area Council, when they kidnapped the residents, raping some them and killing of a civil defense official ‘Mr. Chinedu’ who was part of the search party. What we are saying is that the present administration has to do something to contain the attack as people are about to start a new faming season.

Also contributing, Mallam Hamidu Saki Gaube called on the FCT administration to complete the construction of the major access road linking villages like Gaube to the FCT city centre so that farmers in the area will no longer be exploited by middlemen who come to buy foodstuff at very cheap rates from the rural farmers for sale at exorbitant prices in the urban centers.

While welcoming the idea of granting loans to Small holder farmers in rural areas, another Chief, Irmiya Saki Sarkin Pegi, said the local chiefs can be involved in the process to guarantee payback.

His words: “The major constraint on credit access is availability of credit institution in the area and the reason is the fear of how beneficiaries will pay back but if they involve the Chiefs, I think it can be done successfully because we know our people.”

He also warned against the idea of politicizsing the programme, which might scare away poor farmers who may not have the financial strength of the elite.

The Chiefs recommended that awareness should be created by extension, making agents in the rural areas available credit sources, so that the existing farmers group can be strengthened while Federal Government revisit the mandate of Micro Finance Banks to be more responsive to the need to rural farmers in term of credit facility.