Agric minister calls for collaboration with agro-product dealers to ensure food security.

From Cyril Mbah, Abuja.
Suppliers and dealers in agricultural materials used by farmers and other active stakeholders in the food production value chain have been advised to key into the present administration’s programmes aimed at boosting crop yield and increasing food supply in the country in the next four years.
The Minister of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stated that the administration’s plan to increase and strengthen crop production to achieve food security will succeed faster with collaboration between key actors in the agricultural sector such as agro-products dealers and government.
Kyari made the call during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the Nigerian Agro Input Dealers Association (NAIDA), led by the President, Alhaji Kabir Umar Fara in Abuja.
He pointed out that the essence of collaboration was to ensure that products supplied meet prescribe d standards in terms of quality and quantity to ensure food sufficiency.
Kyari emphasized the need for the association to sell only certified and approved products sourced from registered input producers who can easily be accessible should tbe need arise.
Sen. Abubakar charged the association to come up with policies and programmes that would check the rampant adulteration of products, noting that marketers in every sector are the face of government.
He also urged farmers to properly use and apply the entire inputs given to them, in line with the best agricultural practices for maximum productivity.
Earlier, the President of Nigerian Agro Input Dealers Association, NAIDA, Alhaji Kabir Umar Fara explained that NAIDA is an umbrella of input distributors in Nigeria, pointing out that members deal on fertilizers, organic and inorganic, seeds, petrol chemicals and farm implements.
He stated that the association was a structured national body with six zonal vice presidents and state chapter chairmen, whose names and contacts have been supplied to the Ministry to ensure synergy at the grassroots and are committed to ensure that agric business gets the best.
Umar Fara stated that the association sensitizes farmers to buy their inputs from established approved centers.
Speaking further, the president of the association stated that when the cost of Inputs are high, some dealers have the tendency to do the wrong things like also hiking prices, assuring that it is the duty of the association to assist the ministry stop the members.
He added that, “now, there is sales permit issued by the Ministry, if you don’t have sales permit and you are guilty of unfair increase in the sale of our inputs, you would be arrested immediately”.
He commended the ministry for also deploying foot soldiers in each of the states, for purposes of collaboration with the 36 states and FCT to ensure compliance with rules and guidelines governing agricultural products dealerships.