NAIC embarks on nationwide sensitisation on benefits of agric insurance

As the nation continues its reform efforts towards the development of agriculture with government at various levels increasing its investment to improve food production and sufficiency, the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation has embarked on nationwide awareness campaign to deepen knowledge and access.

At four separate workshops held in Delta, Gombe, Enugu and Osogbo, Tijani Garba, managing director, NAIC explained that the workshops were intended to sensitise farmers on the measures to mitigate flood and other natural disasters hampering agricultural yields and harvest.

He said that NAIC management were reaching out to farmers across the nation with a view to improving on their capacity through modern farming management methods, storage and marketing of their produce using insurance cover to safeguard their investments.

Garba further appealed to farmers at the workshops to avail themselves of the various agricultural insurance policies offered by the Corporation towards minimising farm loses and risks normally associated with agro-allied businesses.

While in Gombe, the farmers under the auspices of Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme appealed to the NAIC to make its enlightenment drive sustainable and far reaching with a view to reducing public apathy over insurance practice.

Also in Enugu, farmers under the auspices of All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), while appreciating the role NAIC has played in supporting farmers at critical times, however lamented the difficulty in accessing agric loan from commercial banks, saying only few individuals could afford to fund their agro-allied ventures and insure them with loan facility from financial institutions.

In Osogbo, the Osun State Farmers’ Cooperative Societies through Wale Adebola, its spokesman, appealed to NAIC to open up offices at the local government areas with the view to making its products and services available to farmers living outside the urban areas and state capitals. Gboyega Oyetola, chief of staff to the Osun State Governor, while commending NAIC on the nationwide project, assured readiness of Osun government to collaborate with NAIC in the management of risks associated with farming with a view to mitigating farm losses.

 Tijani, while responding, commended the State for its consistency in payment of the mandatory agricultural insurance subsidy over the years, while appealing to the state government to expedite the payment of outstanding subsidy of about N5.5 million for 2012 farming season.