By Abbas Nazil
The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Lagos has called on the Federal Government to channel agricultural support programmes directly through recognised farmers’ associations to ensure that genuine farmers receive essential inputs and to improve the country’s rice production capacity.
The association said distributing interventions through registered farmer groups would strengthen accountability, reduce diversion of agricultural resources and ensure that government assistance reaches those actively involved in farming.
The appeal was made in Lagos by the Chairman of RIFAN in the state, Raphael Hunsa, who acknowledged government efforts to support the rice sector but expressed concern that existing intervention programmes are not producing the expected impact because many genuine farmers are being excluded.
Hunsa said while government initiatives aimed at improving local rice production are commendable, the effectiveness of such programmes is being weakened by challenges surrounding beneficiary identification and distribution processes.
He alleged that some political actors interfere with agricultural intervention programmes by including individuals who are not farmers among beneficiaries, thereby preventing actual producers from accessing needed inputs.
“We appreciate the federal government’s efforts to support rice production and ensure the availability of locally produced rice.
However, the interventions are not enough, and many of the inputs do not get to genuine farmers because some people pose as farmers to benefit from them,” Hunsa said.
He specifically raised concerns over the distribution of fertilisers, claiming that some inputs provided under President Bola Tinubu’s administration are diverted before reaching rice farmers who need them for production.
According to him, when farmers are denied access to fertilisers and other agricultural resources, they become discouraged, which affects productivity and limits efforts to increase domestic rice supply.
Hunsa warned that diversion of agricultural support could create a misleading impression that government interventions have successfully reached farmers when many legitimate beneficiaries remain left out.
He urged the government to establish stronger partnerships with recognised farmers’ associations during the implementation of agricultural programmes, arguing that such collaboration would improve transparency, monitoring and efficiency.
“If the government channels these interventions through farmers’ associations, they will reach the right farmers, production will increase, and the sector will continue to grow,” he said.
The RIFAN chairman noted that Nigeria’s local rice production has recorded improvements and that market prices are gradually declining, but stressed that sustained government support remains necessary to maintain progress and achieve greater food security.
He said consistent access to quality inputs, including fertilisers and other production materials, would encourage farmers to expand cultivation and contribute more significantly to reducing dependence on imported rice.
The association’s appeal comes amid ongoing efforts by government authorities and agricultural stakeholders to increase domestic food production, support farmers and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.
RIFAN maintained that a transparent and farmer-centred approach to distributing agricultural support would help maximise the impact of government investments and ensure that resources reach the people directly responsible for food production.
