COVID-19 Lockdown: Farmers Share Experiences, Call For Govt’s Support

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LAGOS – As the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic is biting hard on every sec­tor of the economy, farm­ers that shared their experiences with DAILY INDEPENDENT, called on the government for assistance so that the country will not experience food shortage after the pandemic.

Some of them in separate in­terviews with our correspondent said that they were not able to ac­cess their farms.

Some on the other hand said they were able to access their farm, but things were not as it used to be as they cannot buy seeds to plant because of the lockdown.

Biodun Onalaja, Managing Direc­tor of Hyst Global Business Limited, in his view said that agriculture has many value chains; where one can easily harness the opportunity avail­able in each of the chains.

He said that his company, which specialises on rice produc­tion is involved in direct produc­tion, processing and packaging of farm produce.

He said that the period of the lockdown affected the early farm­ing season; most especially land preparation, inputs supply and transportation of finished prod­uct from the factory to the market.

Onalaja, who said that there was a reduction in demand as most of the buyers are cut off due to the lockdown, added that there was a wide gap created by blockage of the value chain, as movement of rice paddy from the various farms across the country was also hin­dered indirectly due to the negative effects of the lockdown.

Segun Adeyeye, Chairman Po­tato Farmers Association of Ni­geria (POFAN) Lagos State chap­ter said that the experiences are beyond human comprehension.

“As you know farmers deal with season; for instance, as a good farmer, you must plant your maize by middle of April and rain will not stop for anybody, though what is happening is for the safety of every one of us, I think the gov­ernment must do something to en­hance movement for farmers to be able to go to their farms because climate will not wait for anybody”.

Adeyeye, however, said that within short time if farmers are able to get back to their farms, the country will be satisfactory in terms of food production, and there will not be food shortage.

“For instance potato is just three month in production processes, likewise maize we can use that to sustain ourselves before yams and the rest will be ready,” he said.

Sharing his own experience, Yahaya Oseni, a vegetable farm­er, who also into cassava said he was not able to go to his farm be­cause of the lockdown.

“We find it difficult to go to our farm and it is affecting us econom­ically, because the perishable goods we are not able to sell them, that is the issue we are having at hand,”

He foresee food shortage after the lockdown stating that, it is ex­pected of government to take ade­quate arrangements to provide ma­chinery for farmers and if possible irrigation for the ordinary people who could not provide irrigation.

“We request the state gov­ernment and the Federal gov­ernment, especially the Federal ministry of Agriculture to assist cooperative societies where peo­ple are in clusters to give them land to cultivate so that they can make sure that insecurity of food does not affect us in this country”.

Shakin Agbayewa, a palm ker­nel farmer said that the experi­ence is up and down.

“The experience is up and down we have not been able to access our farm but some people are able to access their farms like the live­stock farmers, but what they did not know is that if we did not go to farm very soon they will run out of product. For instance the maize we plant is what they use for their own livestock feed, and the way the COVID-19 is going, we are technically going into recession”.

Agbayewa stated that if care is not taken there might be famine after COVID-19 as most farmers cannot ac­cess their farm to plant as at when due.

“Almost all companies are shut down people are not produc­ing and if they are not producing they are not selling, the truth is that government must come out with buffer incentive,” he said.

Dr. Femi Oke, Chairman All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State chapter, lamented that some of his farm­ers could not go to the farm.

He said the vegetable farmers and those that deal on perishable farm products are worst hit by the lockdown as they are not able to sell their produce.

“Some of our farmers that are into perishable such as vegetables give it out now on low prices, be­cause before now they supply people far from their farms, but because of the lockdown they could not supply and people cannot come to them to buy, the means of transportation is not working and so they are now selling at a giveaway price. We want the government to complement our efforts on this,” he said.

Oke also noted that because most of the seed companies are not working, farmers are not able to buy seed to plant.

“Those that wants to plant seeds are giving us problem; most of the seed companies are not working and we are about entering the rainy season and so we are now finding it difficult because the seeds are not available in the places where we usu­ally buy. We implore government to assist us in this area,” he said.

Demola Fashola, a farmer said that he was able to access his farm, but sales has drastically dropped and that efforts to get their produce to the market has been very difficult.

“So we felt that rather than let our produce go bad or be wasted we decided to donate them to people to cushion the effect of the lockdown.

“I have access to my farm, farmers generally have right of movement, we got help from the Governor’s forum, who have writ­ten to the inspector general of Po­lice and other security agencies to allow us to go into our farms so that we can produce,” he said.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agri­culture and Rural Development, has inaugurated the joint tech­nical task team on emergency response to COVID-19.

The Joint task team is to fa­cilitate the free and unhindered movement of food, livestock and agricultural inputs and farm­er’s movement across the nation during the lockdown and 2020 farming season to avoid food crises.

Speaking during the inaugu­ration in Abuja Nanono, charged the committee to facilitate the free movement of food, livestock and agricultural inputs nation­wide to avoid food shortages and ensure minimal impact of COVID -19 on this year’s farming season.

He pointed out that numerous reports have been received by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the problem faced by transporters of food, livestock and agricultural in­puts in different parts of the coun­try as a result of the unavoidable enforcement of restriction orders.

This he said have resulted in food scarcity and negatively impacted on the nation’s agricultural production.

The Minister stated that an emer­gency meeting with the Ministers of Defence, Interior and Police Af­fairs deliberated and articulated a common agenda towards ensuring minimal impact of COVID-19 on this year’s farming season in line with the directives of Mr. President and has prompted the Joint Task Technical Team to be inaugurated.

Responding on behalf of the Joint Technical Task Team, the Committee Chairman, Assistant Inspector General of Police, (Op­erations), Austin Agbonlahor, pledged the committee’s commit­ment to the tasks ahead and prom­ised to deliver on its mandate.

The mandate of the committee is to work with relevant agencies in the States and Local Govern­ment Areas to develop a window that will facilitate the free and unhindered movement of food, livestock and Agricultural inputs without compromising the Secu­rity and health of the nation.

It is also mandated to issue out clear instruction to all the security personnel in the three internal se­curity outfits of police, civil defense and the army on the need to allow the free and unhindered movement of foodstuff, livestock and Agricul­tural inputs to all parts of Nigeria.

Also to work with the National Union of Roads Transport workers (NURTW), to adequately educate its members in ensuring that vehi­cles conveying foodstuff, livestock and Agricultural inputs (excluding passengers) are allowed to pass and to ensure that adequate informa­tion clarifying the controlled move­ment of foodstuff, livestock and Ag­ricultural inputs is disseminated by the media to food transporters and security personnel.

The Joint Technical Task Team is made up of the following mem­bers; AIG Austin Agbonlahor, AIG P(Operations) – Chairman, ACG Bunu Modu, Nigeria Security & Civil Defense Crops – Member, Umar Farouk Mudi ,National President, All Farmers Associa­tion of Nigeria (AFAN) – Member, Representative ,Nigeria Army – Member, Mr. Chris Isizuzo, Na­tional Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Ibikunle Tajudeen Barruwa, National President, NURTW – Member and Zubariu Abdullahi, Director, Planning and Policy Coordina­tion ,FMARD – Secretary and it’s Terms of Reference are as follows:

Read Original Report Here By Independent

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