AFAN alleges exclusion of genuine Abia farmers in AUDA-NEPAD input distribution

By Steve Oko

UMUAHIA — All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Abia State chapter, has alleged exclusion of its members on the list of the beneficiaries of the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Smallholder Farmers Initiative.

Abia, one of the seven pilot states selected to implement the continental programme aimed at empowering smallholder farmers with access to finance, improved inputs, training in climate-smart practices, and structured markets, on August 21,   officially launched the AUDA-NEPAD Smallholder Farmers Initiative.

Under the initiative, 17,000 farming households across the 17 Local Government Areas of the state will benefit, beginning with an initial 1,000 farmers in the pilot phase.

AFAN accused Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, of sidelining its members and demanded explanations on how he generated the list of the beneficiaries, which it claimed contained fake farmers.

But the Commissioner, in a swift reaction, dismissed all the allegations, insisting  that due process was followed in generating the list of beneficiaries

AFAN also alleged that critical stakeholders, including Mayors and Supervising Counsellors for Agriculture were not carried along by the Ministry of Agriculture in the enumeration of farmers in the state.

AFAN Chairman, Mrs Gift Ogbonna, who addressed newsmen in Umuahia, appealed to Governor Alex Otti to quickly intervene on the matter.

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