FG targets registration of 20m farmers by 2015

The Federal Government is targeting the registration of 20 million farmers by the year 2015, according to Akinwunmi Adesina, minister of agriculture, saying government is also planning to register 5 million farmers this year that can easily be reached.

With this registration, it is apparent that farmers would need to ensure they are captured in the database to enjoy the support the various levels of government have for farmers.

Speaking at the official flag-off of the 2013 Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme at Ototi village, near Iseyin, Oyo State, Adesina restated the commitment of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to national food security, saying agriculture was now business in the country.

The minister, who was represented at the occasion by a director in the ministry, Olalekan Quadri, said “the Federal Government in collaboration with the state governments in the country are introducing the scheme to address the challenges of producing enough food to meet the demand of the growing population,” aimed at distributing agriculture inputs like fertilisers, seeds and other inputs in order to make them readily available to farmers.

Government at all levels, he pointed out, no longer see agriculture as a developmental projects but as a business as well as to enhance food security, noting “the Federal Government is working round the clock to make sure that cassava is inclusive in bread production in the country so that farmers can easily dispose off their cassava,” as government was worried about the problems faced by farmers in getting farm inputs.