Reps to Minister: Make agricultural inputs affordable to farmers nationwide

.Say 13-month strike by workers at Research Institutes crippling research

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

The House of Representatatives on Thursday called on the Minister of Agriculture Mahmood Abubakar to ensure that there is subsidised agricultural inputs for farmers in parts of the nation in the next farming season to enhance food productivity in all parts of Nigeria.

The House also asked the Minister to immediately Wade in an resolve the 13 month old industrial action embarked upon by 3 unions who are members of Agricultural Colleges and Research Institutes Academic Staff Union that had lingered for 13 months saying that it had crippled research in these Institutes for improved farming.

Chairman of the House Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Research Institutions Hon.Munir Baba Dan’Agundi made the call at the budget defense session of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at National Assembly.

The lawmker said that that high cost of farm inputs such as fertiliser is causing unimaginable harm to farming in Nigeria and called on the Minister to ensure that our is made affordable to farmers in all parts of the country.

He  also lamented that agricultural seedlings are very costly and asked that the Ministry of Agriculture should also properly look at ways of making these agricultural products very affordable.

In his response, the Minister said that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is currently looking at going into into intensive rice farming in the next farming season.

He said that plan of the Ministry is to  work assiduously to increase rice production nationwide noting that there is high cost of the stable food in the Nigerian markets due to low output of rice farmers.

On the budget, he lamented only 11 million naira was released for the Ministry in 2022 budget and called on the lawmkers to increase the annual budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development adding that research, innovation and development is its major areas of priority in the agricultural sector.