Rainy season: Don urges govt. to re-introduce extension services to farmers


 Dr Kolawole Adebayo of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), has urged the Federal Government to reintroduce extension services to farmers in the rural areas in order to increase productivity this rainy season.
The don gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
Adebayo said that government should continue to educate farmers on the best farm practices so as to get maximum yields.
``The government has virtually abandoned our farmers to their fate. Our farmers need a lot of encouragement because the greater the people in agriculture, the more the food security.
``The government should also provide for them extension services as most of them do no longer see any extension officers,” he said.
The lecturer said that the extension agencies were poorly paid and needed more funds to improve on their current runs.
``If you ask extension agencies, they will also tell you stories; some of them have not collected salaries for six months
and you expect them to visit farmers in the rural areas.
``We need to get the right messages across to farmers in order to assist them in taking good decisions about cultivating, harvesting, storing and marketing that would benefit them,” Adebayo said.
The don called on the government to provide better infrastructure such as good roads and transport facilities with a view to giving the farmers an edge this rainy season.
``Most of the rural roads are bad; even our major roads are not good and the farmers need better infrastructure for easy movement of their farm produce,” he said.

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