Fertiliser: AFAN urges FG to make farming attractive before removing subsidy


The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has urged the Federal Government to make farming attractive to farmers before removing subsidy on fertilisers.
Mr Remi Adekoye, the Chairman of AFAN in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Omuo-Ekiti on Tuesday.
Adekoye explained that the government should make farming attractive through adequate provision of farm inputs and other incentives to farmers.
According to him, the government needs to resolve all bottlenecks hindering easy access to soft loan, hiring of tractors and resuscitation of irrigation farming.
“Government should provide necessary support to farmers and make farming attractive by addressing various challenges facing farmers.
``Purchasing fertilisers at free prices without subsidy will not be difficult when other challenges facing farmers must have been tackled.
``Presently, government should do everything to encourage Nigerians, especially youths and unemployed, to farm so that its agriculture diversification plan would materialised.
``Any plan to withdraw fertiliser subsidy now would discourage many farmers from cultivating on a large scale and make intending farmers to abandon their interest in farming,’’ he said.
Adekoye called on government to keenly monitor distribution of farm inputs and incentives to ensure that real farmers get the items.

He urged all farmers in the area to register so as to be able to benefit from government’s assistance, saying that it would be difficult for unregistered farmer to be reached.

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