By Christopher Tom, Uyo
The Chief Executive Officer of IFEADAMOS Nigeria Limited, Elder Ifreke David said Agriculture in Nigeria is not a lucrative business because of pressure from the traders and especially Government policy.
Elder Ifreke David said in an interview with our corresponded in Uyo over the experience, challenge, farmers witness in the sector.
Elder Ifeke said it’s very unfortunate experience to farmers because government take advantage push the responsibility to an individual, because they don’t want to release funds whereby appropriate funds in the sectors on yearly basics that is the budget but none go to the real practitioners rather the reverse what they are practicing by informing the farmers to collect loan as if are the feeding their personal family which is not a welcome development in the sector
“If government cannot tell teachers in educational sectors to train people under loan why should they tell farmers to collect loans into practice for food sufficiency as agriculture is a raw material of every sector while government should take proper care of the sector.
He said funds available for those that has passion for food sufficiency in the country and that funding should not be loan but grant because of the factors surround it and before government should have data of original farmers nations wide not to patronize portfolio farmers while we understand government is only after the output to feed the nation.
The Chief Executive officer said farmers are always ready to fish out sufficient food in the country if government would extend hand of fellowship to them despite farmers challenges experience in the sector needs urgent step to tackle the issue especially portfolio farmers roaming from office to office calming farmers in the country.
He believes government would not forget the original farmers through the data’s would goes a long way to solve some of the problem in agriculture.