POH Chairman, Alex Kwapnoe
By Raymond Gukas, Jos
A plea has been made to the Plateau State Government to prioritise granting of loans to retiring civil servants in order to boost agriculture.
This plea was contained in a communique issued by the “Plateau Our Heritage ” group after its deliberations on the way forward for the much touted agricultural revolution in the state.
The communique signed by the Chairman, Hon. Alex Kwapnoe and Convener, Hon. Pam Ayuba Dangwong, the POH noted that the request become imperative considering how retirees leave office and become idle at the end of the day when there are various opportunities waiting to be tapped especially in the agric sector.
Also, the government should consider the increase in fertilizer subsidy, provision of tractors, harvesters, planters as well as the construction of specialized silos for storage of produce among other things.
Earlier in its deliberations, the group decried Nigerian leaders’ attitude towards the development of the agricultural sector, noting that there was no tangible efforts on the part of government to lift peasants out of subsistence agriculture in the face of the industrial age.
The communique emphasised on the need for governments to encourage agriculture especially now that the COVID-19 pandemic was posing a big challenge to the world’s economy since agriculture shall be the bedrock for future breakthroughs.
Among other things, the POH identified the numerous agricultural potentials in the state and the need to harness them even as it assured that it was ready to part through suggestions to achieve these objectives.
