Government Weeds Out “Briefcase Farmers” in Agricultural Sector

The Federal Government has announced a comprehensive overhaul of its agricultural interventions, aiming to ensure that only genuine farmers benefit from its programs.

This move comes as part of a broader effort to revamp the sector and increase food production.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, revealed that the government has embarked on a data-driven approach to identify and support genuine farmers.

This includes a comprehensive farmer data audit and registry, which will help to eliminate “briefcase farmers” who have been exploiting the system.

The government has implemented various initiatives to boost food production, including the Agro-Pocket initiative, which has seen over 133,000 hectares of wheat cultivated across 15 northern states.

Additionally, the government has launched a plan to support 44,500 rice farmers nationwide, with a focus on improving extension services and addressing the unacceptable extension-to-farmer ratio.

The government has also introduced measures to modernize farming practices, including the distribution of 2,000 Belarusian tractors and 9,000 implements to farmers. Furthermore, Special Agro-Processing Zones are being developed to support market access and value addition, enabling farmers to earn higher returns.

The Minister has called on Northern stakeholders to join forces with the government to confront those who sabotage reforms by manipulating systems and shortchanging real farmers.

He emphasized the need for collective action to ensure the success of the government’s initiatives and to build a more resilient agricultural sector.