By Jennifer Yusuf
Vice President Yemi Osibanjo will tomorrow, Thursday the 17th of October, pay a working visit to the Nigeria Farmers Group and Cooperative Farm, NFGCS, in Gaate, Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa state.
Speaking exclusively to Daybreak, the National Coordinator of the farm settlement, Mr. Retson Tedheke, noted that the high powered delegation visiting the farm was a welcome development as it would afford the Vice President and his entourage the opportunity to see first hand what Nigeria Youths can accomplish on their own in agriculture with the right government policies and incentives.
” when the Buhari administration came into power agriculture was a major plank of the government’s policy, which many of us keyed into and I am happy to say that since 2017 when the NFGCS came into existence we have steadily grown in membership and through crowdfunding by our members we are today one of the biggest integrated farms in the whole of Nasarawa state”.
He said that NFGCS adopted a unique model that enabled members of the cooperative and private investors to invest their funds into farming and at the end of the farming seasons the harvest is sold and profits are distributed to investors based on their investment.
“our unique model has worked because since inception we have always been open and transparent to our members who are spread all over the country and overseas. our unique model ensures that no matter where you are, you get your profit immediately after each farming season, currently, we have over 2000 persons, mainly Nigerian youths registered as members of the Coorperative”
Speaking on the incentives available to members and subscribers, Tedheke noted that the NFGCS is a coopreative society built on trust and the carefull managent of subcribers funds and the hiring of the best hands in agri business “in the first year of our operation, every subscriber was able to make over 50% return on his or her investment and ever since we have tried to sustain the temple irrespective of challenges”
Speaking on some of the challenges the Coorperative has had to contend with, he noted that it was mainly in the area of commodity prices and funds for expansion, but however said that the recent closure of the country’s border is making a difference.
“the border closure is a blessing to Nigeria farmers especially rice farmers who dont have to contend with the cheap and toxic rice been dumped into the country from God knows where. Nigeria farmers have the capacity to meet our demand for rice. Rigth here we are building a rice city and a holding facility that is one of the biggest in the whole of the middle belt. our rice brand, “Gaate Gold” is becoming a household name, only yesterday two traller loads of rice left this farm for the eastern part of the country our operation is expanding”
Speaking on the challenges confronting the farm he noted that the NFGCS has yet to receive any support whatsover from Nigrian banks “they have been visiting our farm in the last two years but non has supported us, they make promises and after that we dont here from them again, our members who see what we are doing and the result we are getting are the ones financing everything you see here”.
He however praised the efforts of the Agric warehouse in Keffi for providing the farm with equipment and fetilizers, “the Keffi warehouse has been wonderful they have always stood by us and whenever they have farm equipment that we need they have always been forthcoming and giving us the necessary support”
He used the occassion to call on commercial banks in the country to stop paying lips service to the development of agriculture or giving funds meant for farmers to politicians whose farms exist only in their briefcases as this would not help the Buhari administration achieve its agenda in the agricultural sector.
” the Buhari governement has put the policies in place, the CBN has released funds for the development of agriculture the only weak link are the banks” he noted.
He also commended President Mohammadu Buhari and Vice Presiedent Yomi Osibanjo for taking note of the achievements of the NFGCS, hoping that the visit will spur the cooperative to do more and show the way to Nigeria youths that there is money waiting to be made in agriculture.
