The Community Allied Farmers Association of Nigeria (COMAFAS) has urged the federal government to provide the necessary farm inputs for farmers in order to ensure massive food production during the dry season.
According to a message signed by the President and Founder of COMAFAS, Dr Austine Maduka, to commemorate the 63rd Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, he urged President Tinubu to pay attention to the plight of smallholder farmers.
While he commended the president for declaring an emergency on food security, he noted that with the right support for farmers, the country will be food-secure.
On the recent palliatives given to farmers to cushion the effects of subsidy removal, Dr Maduka said rural farmers were yet to receive the palliatives; hence, it is necessary for the President to develop strategies to monitor the distribution process.
The COMAFAS President further appealed to the President to give his service chiefs a marching order to clear the forests and farms of bandits and terrorists to enable farmers to move into their farms and cultivate without fear of being kidnapped or killed.
“We thank President Bola Tinubu for this occasion of the country’s 63rd Independence anniversary. As farmers, we believe that the country can feed itself if we are supported to produce more.
“As we are entering the dry season of farming, we call on President Tinubu to support us with inputs like fertilisers, improved seeds, mechanisation, and grants to enable us to produce more food.
“We are aware of the recent declaration of an emergency on food security by our President, and we are willing to work with him to achieve his dream of a food-secured Nigeria. It is achievable with the right support for farmers.
“We also want our president to look into the distribution process of the recently released palliatives because none of our members have benefited from them,” he said.
Dr Maduka however, backed President Tinubu on the directives he gave to the anti-graft agencies to recover the funds embezzled through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme.
COMAFAS is a community-based agricultural organization, owned and managed by Nigerians, established with the mandate to mobilize women, youth, and all intending and practicing farmers who have little or no idea of becoming self-reliant in agricultural business.