News analysis by Femi Ogunshola,
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Speakers at a sensitisation workshop organised recently in Abuja for farmers in
the North-Central zone stressed the need for farmers to insure their products
against losses.
They drew attention to insurance facilities offered by the Nigerian Agricultural
Insurance Corporation (NAIC).
The Federal Government disturbed by losses incurred by farmers, established
NAIC to address their needs.
Establishment of a specialised agricultural insurance outfit became necessary as
a result of vacuum created due to the unwillingness of conventional insurers to
accept agricultural risks.
Mrs Folashade Joseph, the Managing Director of NAIC, noted that Nigerian
farmers must strive to insure their various agricultural products with the
corporation.
This according to her remains the only sure path to increase productivity and
help to secure the investment of farmers against any known and unknown threat
to farm produce across the country.
Joseph harped on the need to understand the role of NAIC in securing farmers
interest.
She noted that farmers must endeavour to insure their crops with NAIC not only
for a season but on yearly basis
Joseph said that by insuring their products, NAIC would be able to render
necessary risk management services that would keep the farmers in business
and also help to stabilise their income
The NAIC boss stated that it would also help to pull them out of the mire of
poverty and despondency occasioned by impact of natural perils on their
investments.
She reiterated the unwavering commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration to Nigerian farmers in making agriculture a thriving business in the
country.
According to her, the administration is determine to take agriculture from its
former status of development project, to that of thriving business, which is
capable of generating millions of job, in addition to attainment of food security for
the country.
She stressed that in line with the agricultural promotion policy, known as the
Green Alternative; several intervention programmes were initiated to target
farmers in order to enhance their productivity.
According to her, to realise the futuristic goal of food sufficiency and security,
there is need to channel enormous investments into agriculture.
She also said that the investments should be secured from the several perils
lurking agricultural production, occasioned by global climate change
phenomenon.
Joseph affirmed that food security was an indispensable aspect of national
security, adding that this propelled NAIC to sensitise farmers across the country
on the importance of agricultural insurance.
Mr Abdullahi Sabo, Chairman of Kuje Area Council, said in spite of many years of
NAIC existence, most farmers were still ignorant of its role.
He said that only a handful of farmers were aware that the corporation could bail
them out of any predicament.
According to Sabo, farmers are unaware that they can insure their products;
NAIC role is to keep farmers in business by insuring their products in case of fire
outbreak and other disaster.
He said that NAIC was the best bet for farmers who are faced with the misfortune
of fire outbreaks, pests’ attacks and other unforeseen circumstances.
Mr Ude Ekele, a famer in FCT, said that the training and sensitisation were very
important for farmers’ survival and productivity, adding that a lot of farmers had
not benefited from NAIC.
“Farming is a very risky business, the crops, livestock, fisheries and others, but
NAIC is there to cushion the effect of any misfortune we suffer as farmers.
“Some time ago, I planted rice, my farm was destroyed and I approached NAIC
because I have registered, NAIC came to my rescue and I was given N500, 000
as a compensation for what I lost,” he said.
He stated that though what he lost was greater that the compensation, but as a
farmer, he was impressed with what he was given by NAIC because it was a
compensation.
“As a farmer, depending on your level of production, if it is big enough you can
approach NAIC, but if it is not so big, you can form a cooperative society and
then register,’’ Ekele said.
Mercy Koma-Nana, Secretary, Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in
Nigeria (SOFON), noted that as a farmer, there was a lot of risk associated with it
which should compel farmers to insure their products against such risk.
According to her, the risk begins from when you plant, be it crop or animal
farming, the risks are equal, but the good news is that NAIC is able to help you
bounce back when the risk occurs and it is also cheap to register with NAIC.
“If you invest about N100, 000 in a farm, you can register with as little as N2000;
then government will come handy to do the rest when you incur losses,” she
stated
Koma-Nana stated that farming business was beginning to be lucrative, adding
that “before now if you are a farmer, people look at you as a misfit, but it is no
longer so.”
Pastor Olasehinde Mustapha, Zonal Programme Manager, FCT Agricultural
Development Project (ADP), Kuje Zone, said that if NAIC lives up to expectation,
Nigeria will become the hub of agricultural export to African countries and other
part of the world.
“This is the first time NAIC will be coming to us, their constituency which are the
farmers, because I have been around for 30 years and the ADPs are the real
pivotal of grassroots agriculture in Nigeria, but have not been in touch with
NAIC,” he said
Dr Victor Ofobe, Deputy General Manager, NAIC said that the corporation’s
interest was to make farmers know its role, adding that NAIC would not relent in
that bid to ensure greater productivity.
He noted that most farmers who claimed not to know the role of NAIC were in
their youthful age, stressing that those who had been around for close to 30
years knew about the corporation.
Ofobe stressed that NAIC would not relent in its bid to ensure that Nigerian
farmers were equipped with requisite knowledge on how to protect their
investments in agriculture. (NANFeatures)
