|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Agriculture is the most powerful tool for poverty eradication, not just in Taraba State but Nigeria as a whole. Agriculture is no doubt the mainstay of every economy, especially for developing economies, like Nigeria.
Making essential policies and implementing same to embrace agricultural development is key to the growth of every state, especially agrarian states like Taraba.
Good policies in agric-sector by a competent government will ensure food sufficiency, job creation, reduce malnutrition and hunger, generate revenue for the government, create wealth, among others.
Accordingly, the trickle down effect is that, as highest employer of labour, Agriculture takes many idle youths off the streets, and gives them source of livelihood, thereby reducing crime to the barest minimum.
It is no doubt that the importance of Agricultural production, in Taraba and Nigeria can not be overemphasized. As beneficial as agriculture is to economic growth and development of a nation, it does appear that the past and present administrations in Taraba State are not too concerned about the agricultural development in the Sate.
In as much as Nigerians aren’t happy with the present economic realities which has been largely affected by agriculture, we cannot but commend the Taraba state government for its support to farmers in rice production.
Nevertheless, it must still be pointed out that the state government should focus on other areas of agriculture and not just on rice production. Because many farmers in Taraba State still face challenges in other sub-sectors like livestock, forestry, fishery, etc.
It is pertinent to note that government realize that implementing new policies in agriculture should go beyond lip services. The government needs to support and empower farmers, with latest from production tools, fertilizers, among others so that the lives of Tarabians will experience turn around.
In Taraba State particularly fake promises by successive administration is responsible for the neglect the sector is facing. Other factors that serve as a hindrance to the progress of agriculture in Taraba State includes, poor transportation which, leads to crops’ wastage. And for some farmers who manage to get to the market by all means, many do not have safe storage facilities to keep their goods. These and some reasons have discouraged not a few Nigerians from going into agriculture, but a
To bring agriculture back to life, the state and federal governments should work hand in hand in transforming the methods of farming, livestock rearing, etc, by providing the modern equipment needed to encourage more people come into agriculture in order fast track production.
Having worked with the Gongola state agriculture programme in 1989, and was later promoted as the financial controller, Taraba state, Chief David Sabo knows what it takes in building, growing and revamping agricultural sector.
