FCTA Promises Improved Productivity

The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has expressed its determination to improve the agricultural productivity of small scale farmers.

The Minister of State for  FCT, Olejumoko Akinjide who sated this at the 2012 flag-off of the subsidised input distribution under the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme at Gwagwalada Area Council said this was to ensure that farmers got abreast of modern farming methods to boost their economic base.

Akinjide said the administration was equally committed to the development of viable agriculture entrepreneurship through the provision of free and technical expertise and farm subsidies.

“This underscores our firm conviction that agriculture, like so many other facets of our national economy, is essentially a private sector driven enterprise that requires adequate incentives and consistent policy support”, she said.

According to her, the FCTA has initiated various farmers’ friendly programmes that were geared towards attracting domestic and international private investment in the FCT agriculture programmes.

“Notable amongst these programmes is the Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Agricultural Land Development Programme at Piri in Kwali Area Council where 15,000 hectares of agricultural land are being cleared and made available to potential investors.

“It is a deliberate policy to promote the development of a sustainable commercial agriculture that will not only guarantee increased farm income but also ensure availability of sufficient food for the ever growing population of the territory”, she stressed.

She further explained that under the farmer technology empowerment programme, the administration had provided tractors and implements to farmers groups and individual corporate farmers at subsidised rates to reduce land drudgery, noting that GES was the beginning of an era where the FG and the FCT would support farmers in the entire agriculture value chain.

She said that through the scheme, small holder farmers in the FCT would obtain 50 per cent subsidy on fertilisers and improved seeds of maize and rice.

“Good quality agro-inputs will be made available through the certified private agro-dealers and the era of diversion of subsidised fertiliser by middle men will go for good”, she stated.

In his goodwill message, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinisumi Adesina said the government was committed in modernising agriculture as a business that would put money in the pockets of farmers.

He observed that Nigerians should produce, buy and eat locally produced food, adding that it would diversify the economy away from oil.

“It will enable us to create a lot of jobs and also reduce our dependency on using our foreign exchange to import food rather we will begin to export”, he said.

He revealed that the federal government has facilitated N30 billion to seed and fertiliser companies to enable them stockpile seeds and fertiliser and that 41,000 farmers have registered in the FCT to collect seed and fertiliser in the available 17 centres.