(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/akinwunmi-adesina1-300x224.jpg) The National Assembly of Nigeria has overwhelmingly endorsed the Agriculture Ministry's "Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES)", an innovation by the Ministry in agribusiness that has received global acclaim and witnessed astronomical rise in agricultural development and production in Nigeria.
The House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, during its public hearing on the need to urgently device a workable system of fertilizer distribution to farmers in Nigeria, praised the Minister, Adesina for bringing his global wealth of experience and intellectual clout as a renowned Agricultural Economist to bear on food security endeavours of his fatherland.
The Committee members, who spoke one after the other, commended the Minister for his contribution in ensuring that Nigeria meets the MDG1 and urged him to relentlessly work towards achieving MDG4, before 2015, as they say, "the result of success is more hard work."
Stakeholders from various States of the Federation at the hearing, gave testimonies of how the scheme has eradicated the corruption in fertilizer availability and ensured transparent distribution of fertilizers and seeds to farmers at the grassroots claiming that they never had it so good.
While declaring the Public Hearing open, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal represented by Hon. Leo Ogor, said the referrals are critical to the attainment of the yearnings and aspirations of the people. He said, it is aimed at "eliciting the various positions of the Nigerian people to come up with effective legislative actions that will impact positively on the lives of the Nigerian people."
While the committee members shared testimonies on the success of GES in their constituencies, they opined that a bill should be put in place to ensure the sustainability of the scheme even after the current dispensation and promised to work towards ensuring the sustenance of the invaluable policies and programmes Dr. Adesina has brought into being as Agriculture Minister.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina in his presentation on GES, reiterated how end of corruption in fertilizer distribution has heralded increased in food production in Nigeria. "Under the old system of procurement and distribution of fertilizer, the government was simply subsidizing corruption because the middlemen and the political farmers' were the ones benefitting. It took us only 90 days to stop corruption of 40 years in the fertilizer and seed sectors with the introduction of GES Scheme, the old system was totally dismantled", he further explained.
"The GES has returned dignity to farmers and has enabled government to target the real farmers and provide them with inputs." He cited the achievement the Ministry made in dry season rice farming in some Northern parts of the country which has produced 1.1 Million metric tons.
The GES is less than two years and has recorded great success in most part of the country, while agreeing that there is room for improvement in areas such as increased supply of improved seeds and evenly distribution of fertilizer, the Minister called on Nigerians to support the scheme to achieve greater success
In reaction to stakeholders' observations on supply of adulterated seeds by some seed companies, Dr. Adesina appealed to the House to support farmers in developing a draft bill for seeds to enable the Ministry have control over the quality of seeds being distributed for planting.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Mohammed Tahir Monguno said the public hearing is a demonstration of the House members' unity and resolve "to address the challenges of Nigerian people by living up to the Legislative Agenda of the 7th National Assembly in providing food security, employment, adequate health care as well as the necessary amenities that will reposition the Nigerian economy as one of the world's greatest economy in line with the present transformation agenda and vision 20:2020.
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