Senior Special Assistant to Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, Mr. Sani Marke says President Muhammadu Buhari is only paying lip service to the Agricultural sector as an alternative to oil.
Mr. Sani Marke who made this known in an interview with our reporter in Jalingo opined that even though the President persistently advises that people go back to farming, there has been no sensible policies that would affirm his stand.
The SSA stated that in the past, farmers see Agriculture as a profitable business with palliative measures in place like the growth enhancement support programs which provides fertilizers and other subsidies to boost yields.
Mr. Sani Marke, who is also the managing director of Super Nova, an Agric Outfit, said that the intervention then, made lots of people benefit from Agriculture by reducing poverty and the creation of Jobs for the teeming population of youths.
He applauded the people of Taraba state and Nigeria at large who have gone back to the farm and encouraged them despite the lack of agricultural inputs that is hampering their farming progress.
He further stated that concerted efforts between Federal and State Governments should be made by establishing sound policies that would encourage farmers in the country.
The SSA encouraged Tarabans to go into farming that would boost their economic base, stressing that farming crops like rice, tomato, timber, cotton and fish could bring in a lot of profit.
He further stated that Taraba state is blessed with fertile land and that if the right policies are put in place for farming, it would no doubt reduce restiveness, clashes and idling among youths.
Marke decried the fact that the Central Bank of Nigeria has failed to provide loans to farmers at the right time despite concerted efforts from various organizations in the state.
According to him, most banks are afraid to risk giving out loans to farmers but keep giving loans to their customers at a high-interest rate.
Similarly, the SSA discouraged plans by the government to allocate free grazing reserves to herdsmen, describing it as an expensive venture for the Federal Government given the present financial challenges bedevilling the country.
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| Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku |
Mr. Sani Marke who made this known in an interview with our reporter in Jalingo opined that even though the President persistently advises that people go back to farming, there has been no sensible policies that would affirm his stand.
The SSA stated that in the past, farmers see Agriculture as a profitable business with palliative measures in place like the growth enhancement support programs which provides fertilizers and other subsidies to boost yields.
Mr. Sani Marke, who is also the managing director of Super Nova, an Agric Outfit, said that the intervention then, made lots of people benefit from Agriculture by reducing poverty and the creation of Jobs for the teeming population of youths.
He applauded the people of Taraba state and Nigeria at large who have gone back to the farm and encouraged them despite the lack of agricultural inputs that is hampering their farming progress.
He further stated that concerted efforts between Federal and State Governments should be made by establishing sound policies that would encourage farmers in the country.
The SSA encouraged Tarabans to go into farming that would boost their economic base, stressing that farming crops like rice, tomato, timber, cotton and fish could bring in a lot of profit.
He further stated that Taraba state is blessed with fertile land and that if the right policies are put in place for farming, it would no doubt reduce restiveness, clashes and idling among youths.
Marke decried the fact that the Central Bank of Nigeria has failed to provide loans to farmers at the right time despite concerted efforts from various organizations in the state.
According to him, most banks are afraid to risk giving out loans to farmers but keep giving loans to their customers at a high-interest rate.
Similarly, the SSA discouraged plans by the government to allocate free grazing reserves to herdsmen, describing it as an expensive venture for the Federal Government given the present financial challenges bedevilling the country.
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