The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda in the agricultural sector, saying Nigerian farmers are experiencing significant relief under the administration.
Speaking at a press conference in Kano on Tuesday, AFAN National President Farouk Rabiu Mudi recalled that Nigeria was blessed with over 70 million hectares of farmland, some of which had previously been occupied by hostile elements.
He noted that the coordinated efforts of the current administration’s security architecture have reclaimed some of these previously ungoverned farmlands, enabling many farmers to return to their fields.
“Arising from these efforts, many Nigerian farmers have gone back to their farmlands, while IDP camps are witnessing transformation as most displaced persons have returned to their homes,” Mudi said.
He commended the partnership between AFAN and the Ministry of Defence. As part of the collaboration, he said, some AFAN executives had undertaken an agricultural study tour to Brazil, where they participated in an annual trade exhibition. The goal, he explained, was to identify innovative ways to help farmers return to their farms and to develop creative solutions for those people in IDP camps.
Mudi also announced that AFAN will host the Nigeria-Brazil International Agric Exhibition in Kano, adding that the event was designed to transform the country’s agriculture and livestock sector from subsistence farming to mechanised agriculture.
The AFAN President commended President Tinubu for establishing the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Livestock Development, and the Ministry of the Blue Economy. He also lauded government funding initiatives, including the NAGS-AP Project, the Nigerian Agricultural Development Fund, and the Bank of Agriculture.
He urged AFAN members nationwide to align with the government’s vision, seek guidance from relevant agencies, and embrace innovations aimed at supporting smallholder farmers through state agricultural extension services.
(The Sun)
