Expired agric inputs may hinder bumper harvest-Women farmers’ laments
The Women farmers in Bauchi State have expressed fears that the distribution of expired agricultural inputs may endanger bumper harvest envisaged under the Anchor Borrowers Programme.
The farmers expressed this fear in a communiqué issued at the end of a one day budget tracking meeting of women farmers organised by Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative Bauchi, in partnership with Action-aid Nigeria.
They also identified late distribution of farm inputs such as high yielding seeds, fertilizers and insecticides as other major factors that frustrate the effort of the farmers to boost both rain fed and dry season farming in the State.
Rifkatu Magaji, a woman farmer from Warji LGA and Rhoda Haruna from Bogoro LGA lamented that some of the seeds distributed in their communities were not high yielding varieties, alleging that crops that were slated for maturity within 3 months might take longer time to mature.
Some of the women farmers re-echoed their earlier request for the training and retraining of more extension workers while those already in existence within the communities should be given logistic support to advice farmers on modern farming techniques.
Most of the women farmers complained of delay in the disbursement of loans which was always granted farmers in July as against March/April.
According to Malama Iyaji Shehu from Kwagal in Kirfi Local government area of Bauchi State, ‘women farmers’ group in Kwagal Community had never benefitted from such schemes’.
The Executive Director of Fahimta, Hajia Maryam Garba had earlier in her address urged the Bauchi State Ministry of Agriculture to always consider women farmers’ groups in the rural areas while disbursing agric loans.
“I want to call on the ministry of agriculture to employ jobless youths in rural areas as extension workers because this will serve dual purpose of halting unemployment and empowering community members to key into the agricultural scheme of the present federal government”. Hajiya Garba said.
Also speaking, the acting director of research and statistics in the Bauchi state Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Ishaya Ayuba advised Bauchi based NGOs not to rely on proposed budgets but to always base their budget analysis on actual amount approved and released.
The Director assured the women groups that the state government was in contact with the CBN to address challenges militating against the successful implementation of Anchor Burrowers Scheme.
Samuel Luka, Bauchi
