FOOD SECURITY: Fintiri Empowers 400 Agricultural Cooperatives Societies For Food Security in the State.

By Sammeni Kamsobbi

The Adamawa state government has empowered four hundred agricultural cooperative societies as part of it policies to boost agricultural activities for food security.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri at the empowerment programme in Yola on Tuesday, tasked the benefitting cooperative Societies across the 21 local government areas to take farming as a business.

Represented by his Deputy Governor, Professor Kaletapwa George Farauta, said one of the major problems confronting the world today and Nigeria in particular is food insecurity, adding that the task of feeding the ever growing population of Nigeria is a challenging one and only sustainable growth in agriculture will guarantee availability of food at all times.

The Governor explained that any country that cannot feed its population will be faced with problems of social vices and criminalities, stressing that for a country to ensure that its population is adequately fed, sustainable and deliberate agricultural policies and programmes must be rolled out to boost agricultural practice and ensure adequate food supply for the people.

Governor Fintiri, encouraged members of farmers’ cooperative societies to key into the agricultural programme of the state government with a view to championing new innovations in agriculture that will bring about revolution in the agricultural sector.

He stressed that empowering 400 cooperative societies who are into dry season farming is a testament of the present administration's dedication to the welfare of farmers.

He further said Adamawa state government is committed to ensuring endure peace between farmers and herders because according to him the much sought after food security will never be achieved if farmers and herders crisis persist in the state.

In his key note address, the State Commissioner, Ministry for Entrepreneurship Development, Illiya James, said due to the peculiar weather and climate of Adamawa state, dry season farming should be encouraged to make up for the incconsistence rainy season that leaves farmers with lots of losses and poor harvest.

The Commissioner, Ministry for Entrepreneurship Development, said the state government has procured about six hundred and forty five items to be distributed to about four thousand Agriculture Cooperative farmers in four hundred cooperative societies.

He said the cooperative societies play vital roles in the agricultural policy of the Fintiri led administration, emphasizing that if the agricultural cooperative societies are well organized they are capable of bringing unprecedented benefits not only to the individual farmers but to the state and the country at large.

In his goodwill message, the Special Adviser to the governor on Entrepreneurship, Alhaji Salihu Zumo, congratulated the beneficiaries of the farm inputs and thanked governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for investing in agriculture and empowering farmers in the state.

The president cooperative professionals Adamawa state chapter Japhet Wakili on behalf of the benefitting societies thanked governor Fintiri for the gesture, pledging their cooperation and support for a better Adamawa.