Your Excellency, the recent closure and restriction of movement by your administration in the State due to the Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic in the face of the health crisis facing the Country is commendable as the health of the citizenry is paramount. Permit me Your Excellency to bring to your attention the need for the State to prepare for the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis in order to secure the economic and food security of the state due to the global crash in the price of oil which will adversely affect the state’s monthly subvention from the Federation Account.
The focus of this letter is to chart a course to prepare our State towards food sustainability and economic prosperity.
As an agrarian State where the people’s livelihood is dependent squarely on cultivating the land, it is imperative that significant attention of your
administration be given to the Agricultural Sector with the farming season fast approaching for the eventual food scarcity that might ensue due to
the myriads of factors of Corona Virus (COVID -19) lockdown and issues of insecurity plaguing the State (kidnapping).
To this Your Excellency, I wish to propose for an immediate intervention of your Government to chart a future for farming with a view to guarding against hunger in the state. The intervention comprising Traditional Rulers (District Heads), in view of their proximity and knowledge of Genuine Farmers, Local Government Chairmen, as well as Zonal Agricultural
Inspectorate Officers be set up immediately.
My proposal is centred mainly on Rice production since every house, rich or poor in this country today eat rice. Our borders with our neighbours are closed because of rice smuggling. With a population of about 201 million, rice consumption rate in Nigeria has risen to 7 million metric
tons. However, only 2.7 million metric tons are produced by Nigerian farmers. This leaves a significant gap of 4.2 to 4.3 million metric tons.
Nigeria is spending over =N=365 billion to import the shortfall.
Implementation:
1. The Traditional Rulers, i.e. the District Heads through their Village
Heads and Ward Heads will identify Rice farmers in their domain and
guarantee that they are genuine rice farmers. The data is then compiled
and sent to local government chairmen for collation and data warehousing;
2. The Agricultural Inspectors will verify the farmers through Geotagging and GPS data gathering of the farmers landholdings. They will ensure that the total land area of each farmer is verified and ascertained with the total output expected of each farmer, with the assumption of 2 metric tons of paddy per hectare;
3. The State Government is to supply and distribute subsidised farm
inputs (seeds, fertiliser, herbicide, tractors, etc.) to the registered farmers down to the ward level with the District Headquarters serving as the
redemption centres. At harvest, each registered farmer is to bring at least 2 metric tons of paddy per hectare to the redemption centres for off take by the State Government or its agents;
4. The District Heads are to act as guarantors to ensure that the expected paddy output per hectare of each farmer is redeemed, with payment
made for the produce after the input costs are deducted;
5. The Government is to engage the services of the existing two (2) Rice Mills in the State i.e. the Rice Mill Factory around the Air Force Secondary School in Jimeta and the one at Mbamba for milling and sold during
scarcity to ensure food availability in the State.
The above setup will not only ensure that genuine farmers are the
beneficiaries of the scheme, but also ensure that government investment is recouped as against schemes in the past that were bureaucratically driven and not taking into cognisance of genuine farmers.
Your intervention your Excellency, will not only provide food security for our state, but also ensure that untold economic hardships from the fall in revenue and the economic downturn that is projected is minimised.
Furthermore, your Excellency is invited to note that the following Local Government GovAreas are the “Most Suitable” for Rice cultivation in our
dear State and they cover 34.26% of the state area. There are however, other suitable areas for rice farming in the state that cover 44.06% of the state land area.
i. Lamorde
ii. Numan
iii. Demsa
iv. Yola North
v. Yola South
vi. Girei
vii. Song
viii. Fufore
ix. Jada, and
x. Ganye.
Lastly, I wish to advice your Excellency to approach the Governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with a view to obtaining a single digit
interest loan for the execution of these agricultural projects. The Central
Bank has released a number of interventions on Agricultural development
in the Country and your Excellency should take advantage of these
Interventions to source the required funds for the execution of these
recommendations.
While anticipating for your favourable response to the recommendations,
please your Excellency, accept the assurances of my highest regards and esteem.
I remain yours sincerely,
Alh. Hamman Bello Ahmed, OFR.
Comptroller General, (Rtd.),
Nigeria Customs Service.
