Good times are here for women farmers in Nigeria. The tenth Senate is said to be committed to addressing challenges faced by the farmers so as to improve their participation in agriculture. The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, made this known recently. It was at this years Gender Policy in Agriculture organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the National Gender Steering Committee for the implementation of the National Gender Policy in Agriculture.
A statement by her media aide, Israel Arogbonlo, said the programme is aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in agriculture by providing women with access to resources and developing a national gender-based policy to improve food security.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said, Farming is not just about cultivation and harvest but the processing, packaging and delivery, because that is where some of the money is lost.” That is why the senator implored the Federal Government to tackle the secondary stage of agricultural production to mitigate losses by farmers.
She has, therefore, advised the Ministry of Agriculture to have up-to-date data on women in agriculture across the states. According to her, this will help in tackling the challenges women face in the sector and ensure that the real beneficiaries get what is due to them in any government programme or intervention. Akpoti-Uduaghan said it is necessary for the Agriculture Ministry to form synergy with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and other government agencies that have similar mandates to enable women in agriculture have access to finance.
The senator also deplored the practice where the government or its agents outsourced its responsibilities to private institutions that are designed to complement governments. Hear her: In as much as we rely on civil societies, theres a limit to what they can do. We dont expect the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to take up government duties. The Ministry (of Agriculture) is duly funded and adequately staffed, and you have presence all over the country, engage with your representatives in various states alongside the representatives of SMEDAN and the Ministry of Women Affairs.”
On her part, she said she would not stop at the level of collaborating in the senate to make laws. According to her, she would follow up and ensure that the law is followed to the letter. She told her audience, My office will be open beyond being a member of Committee on Agriculture. As the Chairman of Committee on Local Content, we are also trying to pass a Bill on non-oil and gas sector, which includes agriculture. When the Bill becomes law, we will be able to create the support that you need.
She assured them that she is sufficiently experienced in business to know the needs of women in agriculture enough for her to be their voice in the legislature. She said, Before I got into politics, I was also a social entrepreneur, and its my earnest desire to see that we generate revenue and jobs from non-oil and gas sector.
While noting that Half of the population of farmers (in Nigeria) is women, she said, “wherever there are interventions, like fertilisers being given to states, Ive never seen any being intentionally given out to women. We must take this into consideration.
NASS WILL ENCOURAGE WOMEN FARMERS
