Planting season: Women group seeks timely support for farmers

Planting season: Women group seeks timely support for farmers
Support
By Usman Aliyu
Ilorin, June 3, 2020 (NAN) Hajia Bosede Anifowose, the Kwara Coordinator of the Small Scale Women Farmers’ Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), has called for timely support from the state government for the planting season.

Anifowose made the call on Wednesday in Ilorin in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

She said that late release of farm inputs and agro-chemicals as support for farmers would be inimical to a prosperous farming season.

The coordinator appealed to the government to capture women farmers in whatever programmes it had for farmers in the state.

She said that women farmers constituted a chunk of farmers’ population in the state and the country at large.

“The way everything is silent is not too good for farmers. We are yet to hear from government on what they have for us.

“We had a meeting recently and the government officials there promised that government will provide supports.

“But whatever support government wants to do for farmers, particularly women farmers should be done now that new planting season has just commenced so that it won’t be too late.

“We have cases in the past where inputs and agro-chemicals are released late to farmers and this used to affect our harvests.

“We have been asked to submit a list of our members for supports and I have been in the ministry of finance many  times to enquire about what government has for us but nothing is forthcoming.”

Anifowose advised the state government not to pay lip service to crop farming, saying it was shocking that there was budget line only for livestock farming during the budget review session.

She said that the group would need support on government for irrigation to ensure round year farming among its members. (NAN)
AUO/FAA/GY
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Edited by Folasade Adeniran/Grace Yussuf