The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogeh, on Tuesday announced the plan to provide agriculture extension workers in every Local Government Area in the country.
Ogbeh announced this at a Panel Discussion Session at the 2016 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) in Abuja, chaired by him.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SRP indicated that most parts of Nigeria would experience delayed onset, early cessation and less-than-normal rainfall as well as dry spells.
These, according to the SRP, are risk factors for farmers in the affected areas and must be carefully managed.
Ogbeh, who chaired a session on “SRP: A tool for Reviving Agriculture as an Engine for Economic Growth”, said the Federal Government would review the culture of using extension workers.
The minister said the ministry was making a plan to make sure that in the next four to five years, every local government has an extension worker.
According to him, the effort will help farmers to access information that will support them to imbibe good agricultural practices.
“We have to consider using dams, irrigation system and extension services to teach farmers how to apply the knowledge received on SRP to boost agricultural production.
“We have to remember the current situation we find ourselves in this country now that oil price has fallen and develop the agriculture sector.
“We will not let you down in providing food for the country,” he said.
The minister also spoke on the need to apply science and technology to boost food production in the country.
Ogbeh, however, said that the ministry had designed a soil map that would give farmers specific information on fertiliser and soil.
He said the soil map would give information on specific fertiliser farmers should use and also the type of soil that should be farmed that would boost food production.
“I assure you that we will make SRP information available to small-scale farmers and we shall not relent in our effort to enhance food security in the country,” the minister said.
Also speaking, Ms Atsuko Toda, Country Programme Director, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), commended the Federal Government for promising to make SRP available to the small scale farmers.
Toda said that small-scale farmers depended on rain-fed agriculture since the major population of the people in rural areas were farmers.
She assured of IFAD’s support to ensure farmers embraced climate smart agriculture to achieve food production and create more jobs through agriculture.
One of the discussants, Dr Basir Gwadu, Director at the Institute of Agriculture Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, advised farmers to plant drought-resistant seeds.
Gwadu also urged farmers to take advantage of information from SRP to start early planting.
He, however, called on the Federal Government to revive moribund dams and irrigation infrastructure in the country.
Similarly, another discussant, Dr Shinkrat Jagtap, emphasised the need for the Federal Government to support farmers, citing the example of India.
Jagtap, a Lead Consultant, Global Climate Technologies and Development, said that Indian farmers had started building small dams to support their irrigation farming because of the support they received from their government.
He also advised the government to train extension workers for effective service delivery. (NAN)