Stakeholders decry multiple taxation, exploitation of farmers by middlemen


 Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have decried the multiple tax regime meted on farmers by the government at various levels in the country.
The farmers and stakeholders spoke at a validation meeting organised by the Nigeria Association of Women in Agriculture (NAWIA) on Wednesday in Jos.
The meeting was held in collaboration with the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and the Association of Small Scale Agro-Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), and supported by Trust Africa.
It has the theme: ''Validation/Sensitisation meeting on Strengthening Advocacy for Increased State Budgetary Allocation, Investment and Policy Formulation in Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa States.''
Ms Fatima Sani, an official of ASSAPIN, while contributing, alleged that farmers suffer from multiple taxation, a development she said posed a lot of challenge to farming business in the country.
She explained that this had contributed to discouraging farming activities in the country.
''Multiple taxation being meted on the small holder farmers are really affecting agricultural activities in this country.
''Farmers pay tax when taking their produce from the farm, they pay tax when entering the markets, and also pay for the stores where they keep their products at the market.
''Government collects these huge taxes from the small holder farmers not minding whether they will make sales or not. And of course, they mostly go home empty.
``So, government must, as a matter of urgency, look into this issue if we want to make agriculture the central focus of financing our economy,'' she said.
On her part, Mrs Monica Maton of Plateau Agricultural and Development Programme (PADP), called for the establishment of processing industries to reduce the exploitative roles of middlemen in the market.
''Middlemen really exploit the small holder farmers because they are their last resort when it comes to marketing their produce.
''Most of these farmers cannot do without the middlemen because of the non-existence of factories, or processing plants in the case of perishable products, that will help in the storage of their products.
''It is the farmer that suffered to cultivate, nurtured the crop to maturity, went through the pains of harvesting, but in the end, someone from nowhere will just come and buy these produce with a meagre amount.
``Government must give serious attention to the establishment of industries so as to encourage other people to go into farming and make a living from it,'' she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting drew participants from the academia, civil societies, women groups, farmers associations, government ministries and agencies from Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa States. 

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