Brazil Partnership Can Unlock Food Production
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda, saying improved security, access to finance, mechanisation and international partnerships could help Nigeria unlock its vast agricultural potential and strengthen food security.
AFAN National President, Dr Farouk Rabiu Mudi, stated this at a press conference while outlining the association’s assessment of the administration’s efforts to return farmers to their fields and reposition agriculture as a major driver of economic growth.
Mudi said Nigeria’s agricultural potential remained enormous, with more than 70 million hectares of farmland, but insecurity had for years prevented farmers from accessing some productive areas.
He said recent improvements in security were beginning to provide relief to farmers who had been displaced from their communities and farmlands.
According to him, cooperation between AFAN and the Ministry of Defence has become particularly important in restoring confidence among farmers in affected communities.
“Many farmers are beginning to go back to their farmlands,” he said, adding that the return of displaced persons to their communities was also contributing to the recovery of agricultural activities.
Mudi commended the military leadership for its role in protecting farming communities, noting that AFAN recently honoured the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as its patron.
He said the association’s engagement with the defence establishment had also opened the door to international agricultural partnerships, including a study tour by some AFAN executives to Brazil.
The delegation participated in the Cotrijal agricultural trade exhibition as part of efforts to study farming innovations and identify approaches that could be adapted to Nigeria, particularly for farmers returning from displacement and communities affected by insecurity.
Mudi disclosed that AFAN would build on the Brazilian experience by hosting the Nigerian-Brazilian International Agricultural Exhibition in Kano in November.
The event, he said, would be organised in collaboration with the Kano State Government and the Kano State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA).
He said relevant federal ministries and agencies, including those responsible for agriculture and food security, livestock development, industry, trade and investment, and foreign affairs, were expected to support the initiative.
According to him, the objective is to promote a transition from subsistence agriculture to mechanised and commercially viable farming capable of positioning Nigeria as a major agricultural hub in West Africa.
The AFAN president also highlighted the potential of out-grower schemes and blended financing to expand access to agricultural inputs, equipment and investment for smallholder farmers.
He said partnerships involving Brazilian farmers, government agencies, private investors and development partners could provide Nigerian farmers with access to new technologies, financing models and modern production techniques.
“Nigeria has enough farmlands and willing hands ready to embrace farming in commercial quantity for export to other nations in large volumes,” Mudi said.
He called for greater investment in agricultural extension services, arguing that smallholder farmers require technical support and access to modern knowledge if government’s food security objectives are to be achieved.
Mudi also commended the Federal Government for initiatives and institutions aimed at strengthening the agricultural sector, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, livestock development initiatives, the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), the Nigerian Agricultural Development Fund and the Bank of Agriculture.
He, however, stressed that the effectiveness of such interventions would depend largely on proper management, accessibility and their ability to reach farmers at the grassroots.
The AFAN president urged farmers nationwide to take advantage of available government programmes and engage relevant agencies for technical and financial support.
He also called for continued cooperation between farmers’ organisations, state governments, federal agencies, the private sector and development partners to ensure that agricultural policies translate into increased production and improved livelihoods.
Mudi said AFAN remained committed to supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to address food insecurity and develop agriculture as a commercially sustainable sector.
He appealed to farmers across the country to support the agricultural transformation agenda of the Tinubu administration, saying Nigeria’s natural resources and human capital could be leveraged to build a stronger agricultural economy.
“No Farmer, No Nation,” he declared.