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| Dr Hosea Finangwai. Source Dr Finangwai |
There
is that saying that “the things that people desperately seek are always with
them.” If you ever had the chance to visit a vegetable market in Plateau State,
you get a profound feeling that the solution to Plateau’s economic woes is
hidden in vegetables grown in the state. Sadly, the little things that
authorities ought to do to help this come to fruition often fail to
materialize. Besides, prosperity is not just about the economy, schools and
roads. Prosperity is also about physical beauty and decency of our public
places; people judge you by the way you appear. Thus, the markets need to be
organized to look decent.
In the past, particularly in colonial times, there were
successful efforts at market organizations. In Bukuru, Jos South, for instance,
the market was organized to have units for every basic trade. There were huge
warehouses for grain storage, a decently built slaughter and units for the sale
of the slaughtered animals, tailoring, vegetable... There was also the famous
abattoir around Dogon Karfe. Since then, nothing of that nature has been built,
despite population growth even while existing ones are in a state of rot.
The chaos in the vegetable market and abattoir were the
reason why the News Tower visited the Honourable Commissioner of Agriculture in
Plateau State, Dr Hosea Finangwai. But the conversation got bigger than we had
hoped. The News Tower was trying to bring the attention of the commissioner to
the idea of organizing emerging markets like that of Building Materials for
decency, modernity and easy navigation. So, we asked the commissioner what plans
he has for this year, 2020.
Dr Finangwai brought to our attention the fact that a
reasonable growth plan in the short term isn’t feasible. It is the reason why
his emphasis is on compiling the data of farmers and their activities and
drawing a policy program upon which growth in the agricultural portfolio would
be hinged. When that is done, the government will then unleash its development
program fully.
Concerning the creation of a policy document, the commissioner said he intends to hold a summit of those that matter in the
sector this year. Eventually, the ministry will ensure the cooperation of the
Plateau Agricultural Development Program, PADP, The College of Agriculture
Garkawa, the Agricultural Services and Training Centre (with offices across the
state), and the Home Economic School in Riyom. These bodies are either
agricultural training providers or service providers or both. And, since the
administration wants to move agriculture in the state from subsistence to
wealth creation, these bodies will be used to train the farmers who will then
be supported to get loans from the Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System
for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).
Taking agriculture in Plateau State to a higher pedestal
must involve extraordinary measures. Hence, the Ministry has identified
varieties of certified seeds that have already been given to farmers. In the
potato value chain, there is the idea of diffuse light stores to preserve the
perishables until a favourable market day, processing units, life kiosks,
tissue culture laboratories to clean our varieties to produce brands that are
highly viable and resistant to diseases, thereby getting rid of challenges like
potato blight. The commissioner also talked about the Gramin Agricultural
Markets program to help farmers sale their goods locally as is done in India.
More than seven hundred rural roads and about one hundred and fifty-six tarred
roads will be constructed to enhance connections between the farms and the
markets.
The efforts will also involve the promotion of commodity
associations. In this regard, the government in connection with the commodity
associations has started working to help in the preservation of agricultural
produce in cold rooms, which ASTC has in three locations in Plateau State that
includes Vom, Kuru-Jenta and Tenti Green. The commodity associations have been
mandated to find lands to be used as commodity markets, where farmers can
deposit their goods in the cold houses, especially when markets aren’t
favourable. It will help to discourage large gatherings, especially when social
distancing becomes imperative.
Dr
Finangwai said he did lead a delegation to visit the honourable Minister of
Agriculture, Mallam Sabo Nanono. The aim was to seek support in helping the
Plateau State Government to set up cold houses. Still, with preservation, the
commissioner said his ministry has proposed to the governor to encourage
members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTWh) to see the
possibility of integrating cold vans into their fleet for the transportation of
the perishable agricultural product to distant locations. His ministry is
awaiting the response of the governor.
About
the abattoir, the commissioner agrees the conditions are squalid; there is a
paucity of water so that butchers have to use water niggardly. But there is
also the reality of butchers slaughtering sick animals and selling them to
people. Hence, the Plateau State Ministry of Agriculture is working with the
Chairman and Secretary of the Butchers union to fix the ugly situation. But,
the ministry is also looking at the prospect of handing the abattoir over to a
private body, to avoid the I-do-not-give-a-damn behavior that often runs public agencies
down.
Regarding
Kara Market in Bukuru, the administration has entered into an MOU with Harati.
All this is aimed at making Kara market an international cattle market. Kara
market was “built” by the administration of late Solomon Lar, during the second
republic between 1979 and 1985, but has never really taken off. If it works
well, according to the commissioner, the program will be replicated in the
central and southern zones of Plateau State.
