COVID19: Ize Iyamu urges Obadeki’s to patronise local farmers

Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu, the frontline aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state has implored the state government to insulate the agricultural sector of the state from the coronavirus-induced disruptions by patronizing local farmers.

This he submitted will bridge the gap in public spending and prevent food wastages, especially at the time frenzied purchases could cause price hikes and scarcity of basic produces.

He said this at a press briefing in Benin City on Wednesday.

According to Pastor Ize- Iyamu, agriculture being one of the mainstay of the state’s economy and a large employer of labor, the sector should be protected from the lull that is predicted to follow low trade and activities in the state owing to the announced restrictions by the government to remain indoors except in the case of emergencies.

“By patronizing the local farmers and creating special conditions to insulate the sector from disruptions to the economy, the government will be achieving multiple economic goals including the prevention of food wastage, ensuring a continuous flow of supply of farm produce to prevent scarcity and price hike, protect jobs in the sector and provide the farmers with additional income that will, in turn, circulate around the economy and prevent a complete breakdown,” Pastor Ize- Iyamu argued.

He said: “To bridge the gap in local spending as predicted by economists, our local farmers should be patronized to help them with additional income, reduce the wastage of farm produce, insulate the sector from the disruption of the virus, prevent job losses and improve on the agricultural value chain of the state.”

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Furthermore, Pastor Iyamu charged the state government to immediately set up food banks in strategic points across the state, especially in areas where low-income earners are domiciled, to avail them with food and other basic survival items.

Consequently, he announced that his organization has produced more sanitizers and informational materials on the coronavirus disease for distribution across the state, with special focus on essential workers who will remain in the line of duty and could serve as inadvertent vectors of the viral disease without adequate care and safety precautions.