The National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN) has urged the government to provide subsidy on farm inputs to boost food production in the country.
Dr Abdullahi Adamu, Chairman, Board of Trustee (BoT) of NAFN gave the advice on Wednesday at the ongoing National Agricultural Show and Exhibition in Tundun Wada, Nasarawa State.
Adamu, who was represented by Kabir Ibrahim, National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), said that the high costs of fertiliser and other farm inputs was the factor responsible for poor productivity recorded by small holder farmers.
He decried the high costs of food items across the country at the moment and feared possible further increase in the prices.
The chairman attributed the challenge to ”non prioritising rural farmers that are responsible for feeding the entire population date all-year round by adopting climate smart agriculture, biotechnology, good agricultural practices and fertiliser.
”The high costs of fertiliser and other inputs however portend poor productivity to small holder farmers.
“Therefore, government should provide subsidy on these items to avert the likely severe food shortage.
“To reduce poverty among the majority of our resource population in agriculture, no amount will be too much, but it must be targeted to the real farmers.
“All interventions in agriculture from CBN, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the 36 states of the federation and FCT must be targeted at the real farmers, otherwise there will never be food sufficiency in Nigeria.”