FG Commences Training For Farmers Registration

In a move to generate an accurate data of farmers in the country for policy formulation and implementation, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has commenced training for enumerators/supervisors for 2013 farmers registration in Rivers State.

The Tide reports that the exercise is geared towards boosting the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme programme of the federal government, aimed at facilitating the use of E-Wallet input delivery strategy process to enable the subsidized inputs reach the farmers directly.

Speaking at the opening session of the training programme at AOB Head office Rumuodaomaya, last Thursday the State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Umoh Sampson, said that the exercise is aimed at gathering relevant information that will assist in the growth enhancement support scheme rollout.

He explained that the 2013 farmers’ Registration exercise will be all inclusive, involving all key stakeholders, state ministry of agriculture, local government, commodities association, national assembly members and out borrowers of large scale processors.

The exercise, he continued, will commence simultaneously nationwide in all the 36 states and FCT, also will be conducted in all the 319 wards in Rivers State, stressing that one enumerator will cover one ward and will administer 600 farms during the period of the exercise which will last for 12 working days.

It is therefore envisaged that the enumerator will register 50 farmers a day, he said, regretting that only 32,000 farmers registered in Rivers State last year, compare to over 200,000 farmers in other northern states.

The state Director urged stakeholders to mobilise their resources to sensitise farmers to come out enmasse to register to enable them benefit from the growth enhancement support programme of the federal government.

In a goodwill message, the presidential adviser on food security, Dr Oyebanji Oyesola, said that the exercise is aimed at correcting the anomalies experienced in the previous enumeration and  target to register about 500,000 farmers, which he said, will serve as a data base for the planning of agricultural scheme intervention, as well as support for farmers.

While declaring the training workshop open, the representative of the Rivers State Ministry of  agriculture, Chijioke Grant –Amadi,  charged the enumerators/supervisors to put in efforts in ensuring that more farmers at the grassroot are registered, so that the state will not be left behind.

The Rivers State Fadama III co-ordinator, Prince Kingsley Amadi, in a vote of thanks, charge the enumerators to ensure that this opportunity does not skip our people, noting that the exercise is continuous till 2015 to enable government get the accurate data of farmers.