By John Oba
National Association of Nigeria Traders (NANTS) has for reform of the extension policy framework of the ministry of agriculture and rural development to enhance the development of agriculture in Nigeria.
NANTS president Barrister Ken Ukaoha, in a statement in Abuja said reforming the extension system is critical as the lack of access to basic agricultural knowledge and information by rural farmers in Nigeria has made them to stick to their old traditional methods of crop production system and animal husbandry practices, hence resulting in poor crop and livestock productivity compared to standards that are available globally.
Ukaoha said the extension service delivery in recent years has been plagued with a lot of challenges as government has been unable to sustain the spark with which the Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs) started.
“ADP was the sector’s information infrastructure that was by mandate the link between farmers and research institutes, markets, policy makers and other institutions in the agricultural sector. Regrettably, the ADP was almost abandoned as soon the funding by the World Bank dried up and since then has not been accorded priority nor recognized for its role in transforming agriculture in Nigeria.
“The relevance of Information and knowledge in farming cannot be overemphasized as these are very vital components of agricultural development. New varieties, technologies and methods of farming are surfacing as the day passes.”
He said for the agricultural sector to achieve the objective of food security and poverty reduction, it must be recognized by relevant stakeholders that farmers have the right to know what is happening in areas of improved seedlings, better methods of cultivation and fertilizer application, pest and weed control/eradication, new advances in livestock production and disease control etc.
He therefore called for a stable policy framework for the ministry to guide the administering of extension services which requires urgent attention, adding that some of the areas the policy framework would address include issues relating to the autonomy of the ADPs, financing strategy, re-orientation and retraining of extension agents, organizational structures and coordination between the extension agent, farmer and research institutions.
