To foster food security in Nigeria, Stakeholders in the South/South region, Nigeria have brainstormed on how farmers can ensure food sufficiency, access to farm products and services.
At a strategic meeting in Asaba, Delta state on Tuesday coordinated by AFRITROPIC Farming and Agro Services Limited, farmers from Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Ondo and others, agreed this is the best time for food security in Nigeria.
South South Coordinator, Seed Entrepreneur Association Nigeria, (SEEDAN), Ebimoboere Eniyekpemi, said their determination is to make sure South South and Nigeria at large have a sustainable food system.
She said more farmers should be encouraged to buy, grow high quality vegetable seeds, save the local, especially the resilient ones, in order to secure a generation that will guarantee food security.
While emphasising on giving farmers updated agricultural information and value in order to get business and social profits, she stated everything needed to be done to make farmers happy through synergy between them and AFRITROPIC.
“It is possible to affect Nigeria and the continent from Delta state. We want more farmers to buy and grow the seed all in an attempt to achieve food security. When we know the real farmers, know the seed they grow, we shall be able to close the gap, know what they need and how they can benefit.
“The more farmers the better. Seed is life, it is the key. Farmers cannot just process, they should know whether it is hybrid or local. We want to make sure healthy crops suppress all diseases. If we want food security, there should be an irrigation system, not only depending on rain water” Eniyekpemi state.
Also, Mrs. Eze-Owenz Fidelia, President, Women in Agriculture Network, (WAN), lamented the bureaucracy in assessing funds meant for agriculture and the generalisation of planting seasons between the north and south in Nigeria.
She also faulted the usage of wrong vendors, profiling of uncommitted farmers, noting that soil and seed are fundamental if farmers are to harvest well especially in tomatoes, maize, rice, and others.
“There is need to train farmers and give them advice on on irrigation, hybrid seed, soil health organic and inorganic soil, farm timely spraying/diseases, soil building, get NAFDAC, NIN, BVN, Account details and other approvals, input assistance, working capital, and others.
In his contribution, Martin Eyomiowei, CEO, AgriEco Resources Foundation, (AERF), assured that off taking should not be a problem to the farmers but their profile, what they grow, their breeds and needs.
“The foundation wants to start with 16 communities in one year in Niger Delta states, four communities per quarter, 30 farmers in a community which will cluster them into smaller numbers.
Representatives of Agric Eco Resources Foundation and other speakers suggested the need to subsidise the seed, target the farmers who plant local breeds through increased income in order for them to shift to new breeds to attain food sufficiency.