The Nigerian Small holder farmer (SHF)is currently going through challenging times due to many threat factors ranging from insecurity,high cost of inputs, flooding inaccessibility to sustainable credit etc.
The food inflation put at 22% by the NBS is making Nigerians less sympathetic to the plight of small holder farmers because they are continually blamed for the skyrocketing prices of food items.
While the SHFs also buy from the same market as everybody else the activities of some portfolio farmers who are creating distractions in the food system actually help to exacerbate the bashing being suffered by the SHFs.
It is in the light of all this that those of the fraternity of the pen are being enjoined to reappraise the content of all messages availed to them before disseminating them to the public.
Issues like incessant floods, incidents such as the appearance of quylea birds,banditry, slave labor, inaccessibility of the much needed subsidized inputs,lack of adequate mechanization should be given maximum latitude rather than unwarranted propaganda by ignorant portfolio farmers.
There are many value-added conferences, activities, validations by renown institutions like AUDA-NEPAD, FMARD, AGRIBUSINESS Outfits,currently going on all over Nigeria which should be given coverage and sufficiently articulated by the mainstream media rather than allowing soft sale social media to spread counterproductive posts.
While we appreciate the effort to harvest and harness Agribusiness news in trying to put same on the front banner by some respectable journalists like the convener of the Financial Trust Newspaper, who has a pedigree for “discerning journalism” as shown in his performance at Leadership Newspapers, we call on controlled postings on responsible platforms generally.
The Carrier of information determines the attention and patronage of a discerning audience so I earnestly feel that the needful will be done in promoting value-added only discourse on this cherished platform.
Thank you.
Arc Kabir Ibrahim FNIA,
National President,
All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).