The All Farmers Association of Nigeria says it is strengthening its working relationship with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to enhance performance in 2026.

The association’s general secretary, Femi Oke, disclosed this in an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.

He said the association was working closely with the government to create an enabling environment for local farmers and improve productivity in the agricultural sector.

“As the newly elected executives, we are fostering a closer relationship with the federal ministry of agriculture. The minister gave us a full reception about two to three weeks ago, during which we spoke with him about the policies that will benefit farmers.

“The ministry is ready to work with us, and we are expecting more farm inputs from the government. Last year, some of the inputs distributed didn’t get to the actual farmers, but we believe this year the distribution modality will be better.

“We have also communicated with the ministry on the need to digitalise the Bank of Agriculture, so local farmers can access their services,” the AFAN scribe said.

Mr Oke added, “The BOA is the closest bank to the farmers and all along it has been analogue. So we want it to be digitalised so farmers will be able to access it from anywhere in the country. We also want to appreciate President Bola Tinubu’s administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda, where some of our farmer-members are being trained.

“Also, we have been able to benefit from the Nigeria Agricultural Development Fund, a bill which was passed during the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. NADF is like a pool fund that farmers can access for their sectors. It also includes export waivers for local agri-inputs.

“We have also been able to achieve enabling environments for logistics in the agric sector. This has been achieved with the partnership of the federal ministry of agriculture and the World Bank through the Road Access Agricultural Management Project, which is opening roads in every rural area of the states and to the markets. We also want the government to provide cluster areas where farmers’ produce can be easily off-taken. In addition, there is a need for adequate storage facilities for farmers to reduce post-harvest losses in the sector.”

(NAN)