Raymos Guanah, a farmer and former commissioner for lands and survey in Delta State, says 27 years of democratic governance have strengthened policies and programmes aimed at ensuring food security in Nigeria.

Mr Guanah said this in Asaba on Friday while reacting to Nigeria’s June 12 Democracy Day and 27 years of unbroken democratic rule.

He tasked state governments to explore opportunities in the agricultural sector to ensure food security in the country.

“Since 1999, democracy has enabled successive governments to introduce policies aimed at increasing food production and rural development,” he said.

He said state governments should adopt large-scale agricultural zoning to ensure food security nationwide.

The farmer proposed that states should look inward and focus on crops where they have a comparative advantage, and deliberately cultivate at least 10,000 hectares per crop, such as rice, beans, cowpeas, plantains, oil palm, maize, cassava, and others.

Mr Guanah said, “State governments should deliberately cultivate at least 10,000 hectares of land for specific products.

“For example, Delta can dedicate 10,000 hectares to rice, Edo 10,000 hectares to cassava and so on.

“By so doing, we will have food security. Farmers should be encouraged by the government off-taking of all their products.”

He said structured land use planning would ensure a steady food supply, reduce imports, and strengthen national food resilience.

He stressed the need for guaranteed off-take systems to ensure farmers’ produce was purchased and none was left to waste after harvest.

According to Mr Guanah, adding value through processing will boost income, create jobs, and transform agriculture into a stronger economic sector.

Mr Guanah said that democratic governance had strengthened farmers’ voices in policy formulation and improved attention to food security concerns.

”Governments have invested in rural roads, irrigation systems, storage facilities, and extension services to support agricultural growth.

“These investments have improved access to markets, reduced post-harvest losses, and enhanced rural livelihoods.

“Agricultural intervention schemes have also provided improved seedlings, fertilisers, machinery, and credit support to farmers,” he said.

Mr Guanah noted that increased output of rice, cassava, maize, yams, and other staples is evidence of policy progress.

He added that cooperatives and private-sector partnerships had expanded market access and strengthened agricultural value chains.

He, however, warned that insecurity, flooding, climate change, and high production costs still limited the achievement of full food security.

He called for stronger investments in mechanised farming, irrigation, storage, and rural infrastructure to boost productivity.

The former commissioner also stated that sustained reforms in agriculture remained vital to securing Nigeria’s future food needs.

(NAN)