By Livinus Nnebedum
It was the sweat and proceeds from rural farmers efforts that had contributed to the growth of Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and in boosting the Economy of Nigeria in 1960s. Agricultural Products from oil palm, cocoa, groundnuts etc were the foreign exchange earners for the country. Thus, Nigerian farmers in those days had been subsidizing the education of all University graduates in Nigeria.
The exports from the farms enabled the Economy to bear the subsidies. Their food products reduced the need to import food and thus, conserve foreign exchange. Therefore every Nigerian owes our farmers sincere gratitude and we can express this by drawing attention to farmers, needs and problems. The journalists in all the media establishments have important role to play in this direction. The various governments — Federal, State and Local Governments should strive to make their life worth living in the rural areas.
In early 1970s, the farmers with crude farm tools and primitive methods contributed to the growth of the GDP to the National Economy of Nigeria. Thus, the small-scale rural farmers most of whom are peasant farmers equally carry the burden of the nation. No matter how old the farmer is, he continues to work in his farm for there is no retirement age nor pension and gratuity in his occupation.
Some of those rural farmers live in farmstead built with mud and roofed with raffia palms or grasses. In their rural centers, the farmers lack good healthcare facilities, their children trek long distances in thirst for education. There is no motorable road. They can only dream about water and electricity supply. They are completely out of the society for there is little or no telecommunication facilities. They can hardly afford to watch television or to read newspapers. Hardly can they afford radio.
At dawn in the remote villages, the farmers are already awake preparing for a long day of work especially every market day. Some travel by foot several kilometers to the nearest big market to sell their farm produce. They carry the heavy load on heads since they lack transportation facilities. Selling the produce takes most of the day and they come back to the village late in the evening.
The next day, early morning, they are up again, this time to trek to the farms located several kilometers away from their homes. There is need to apply subsidies in most essential Agricultural Inputs like improved seeds/seedlings, agro chemicals, fertilizers, farm tools, farm machinery like tractors, spraying machines, water pumps, etc. Under Developed and Developing Nations need subsidy to grow to Developed Nations.
The farm products farmers take to the market for sale, usually attract low patronage and low income. At harvest, because those farmers lack good storage facilities and transport, they sell their products at give away prizes. The Big-time business men often invade the farmer’s farms at the farm-gates, searching for cheap food items.
They take those food items to feed the city dwellers and make fantastic profits at the expense of the poor rural farmers who get little rewards for all they suffered in the farms. They never go on strike by refusing to sell to their hijackers or exploiters who exploit their hard labour input in the farming operations.
Our farmers should be given due recognition by all 3 tiers of the government. All Nigerians including the youths should remember that farming is a lucrative and noble profession. It is the oldest profession and if we refer to the Bible, we recall that Noah was recognized as a farmer and he was the first man on Earth to plant a vineyard – Genesis Chapter 9, verse 20
There is ‘green gold’ in the soil and many people now are ‘soiling’ their hands to dig-out the green gold. Let us help our farmers in digging-out the precious harvest from the farms.
There is need for the government to lay more emphasis and implement on what they plan in Agriculture. It should be recalled that in 1980’s during the launching of Green Revolution, the former President of Nigeria Alhaji Shehu Shagari launched the program by tilling the ground at the State House in Lagos with his rich regalia attire called ‘Babaringa’.
There is need to have many Billionaire farmers in Nigeria. They are so many in Advanced Nations. As far back as 1977 to 1981, when the 39th President of America Mr. Jimmy Carter was on seat, he was a rich peanut farmer, as well as the President of America. Hence, there is need to have many bourgeoisie farmers in Nigeria.
Farming could no longer be regarded as a poor man’s job. It is a noble, professional and lucrative job that could no longer be left in the hands of old men and women in the villages operating with local farm tools, full of drudgery and exercising with their human muscle.
They should be encouraged with the massive use of modern machinery in all farm operations to produce more food, feed the growing population and generate more income to overcome the present Economic hardship in Nigeria.
I recalled our experience in 1987 when we were doing NYSC in Bendel state now split into Edo and Delta States where we were posted to serve in Niger Valley Agro Industries Ltd, Headquarters in Benin-City and farm sites in Agenebode, Auchi and Irua. We were 12 Youth Corpers serving in Niger Valley Farms/Niger Valley Agro Industries Ltd.
We worked at the farm sites where we harvested maize from 130 hectares piece of land, putting the maize cobs into Combine Harvester that remove the chaff, thresh the maize/shell the maize seeds and push the seeds through the big hose on the Combine Harvester into the waiting tipper/lorry that carry the maize seeds to the poultry feed mill of the company where the seeds were used to produce poultry feeds.
At LEVENTIS farms near the Niger Valley Farm site, they used Helicopters for planting maize seeds and fertilizer application. In fact, it was a big experience for me and other youth corpers to serve and work in Niger Valley Farms – the owner of the farm was Major-General George A. Innih, former military Governor of Bendel State then. It was a very big experience because I worked closely with the former Military Governor of Bendel State.
Incorporating the roles of the small-scale rural farmers within the development process is cruicial to Nigeria’s agricultural future. Let us remember that it was the small-scale rural farmers that fed, clothed and housed Nigerians during the Agricultural Boom of 1960’s from the oil palm Boom in the Eastern region, Cocoa House in Western Region and Groundnut Pyramids in the Northern Region.
Those farmers need help to increase their farm outputs, income and improve their standard of living. The government should provide enough credit and storage facilities, farm mechanization equipment, good road network, health and educational facilities, electricity and water supply and Information Communication Technologies to reach the vast majority of rural farmers in their localities. Farm mechanization should be given priority to reduce druggery in farm operations because those rural small-scale farmers spend a lot of energy and human muscle in feeding this nation.
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Livinus Nnebedum, Expert in Agricultural Extension Communication and Former Director in Anambra State Agricultural Development Program (ADP) writes from Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze, Anambra State, Nigeria.
