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Give palliative funds to farmers to invest in food production – Archbishop Opoko tells FG, Governors

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The Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia, and the Chairman, World Methodist Council (WMC) Social and International Affairs, Most Rev (Dr) Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria and the various State Governments to focus on farmers in the grant of subsequent relief funds, saying that palliatives are not sustainable.
 
Archbishop Opoko gave this charge in an interview with Famous Reporters, yesterday, at his office, in Umuahia, the state’s capital, arguing that palliatives are transient, as Government at the various levels, should consequently, make sustainable offers to the citizenry, as the fight against the glaring adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic subsists.
 
The renowned Cleric implored Government to encourage the Ministry of Agriculture and all other relevant agencies associated with agricultural produce, to ensure that farmers all over the country are provided with all they need to produce crops that could sustain the nation in the days of the recession.
 
Most Revd. Opoko amidst agony lamented that the country would subsequently run into a shortage of food, as he advised every Nigerian to embrace farming to militate against the impending dearth.
 
“All we’re asking Government now is to help provide silos for all the people who have gone back to farming where the grains can be stored, to provide access roads for farmers wherever they are, and to make sure that enough subsidized fertilizers are made avalaible for farmers to use” 
 
“Government should liaise with farmers in the local governments, to be able to make their roads accessible, to provide insecticides and pesticides… These are the things we need from them”, he added.
 
He, therefore, advised that people should diligently engage in farm cultivation so as to be able to secure their future, reiterating that “we have to make gardens, plant peppers because we may not have some of those things soon, we may not have the onions, we may not have the garden eggs from the way things are going.” 
 
“So, we have to make gardens and have those things around the corner at least with that; you can get pepper without buying because the situation may be so bad”, he insisted, pointing out that the budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria, which has over the years predicated upon the available barrels of oil, has been drastically affected.
 
“And now, we cannot sell our oil for five dollars. So, when the Government gives palliatives, whether state or federal, for how long are they going to provide palliatives? Palliatives are not sustainable, they are short term measures; so we must get to something sustainable. A sustainable approach would be asking them to increase their support to farmers as further palliatives.
 
“Let them make avalaible to farmers at a greatly subsidized rate, improved seedlings,  improved cassava stems, yams, etc These are the things that we need to do at this time because we don’t have industries, not up to 70% of the various industries in the South East are working today.
 
He strongly recommended that in further palliative initiatives, the Government at the Federal and State level should focus on improving food production.

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