ACFA’S LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, THE GOVERNOR OF EDO STATE

Sir,

You can’t look down on the existence of All Co-operative Farmers Association (ACFA) in the state. Mostly now that the federal government of Nigeria has seen the importance of this sector in growing the Nigerian economy, and willing to partner with them through the office of the various state governments. in which Edo State is not exempted.

We wish to intimate you our comrade governor that we have written several proposals to your well esteemed office and channeled through the office of the Hon. Comm. Of Agriculture, which Mr. Abdul Oroh. was  then handling. our report were on ways the association can work with the ministry to enhance food security and make agriculture a major source of revenue for the state. As we are sure this will complement the comrade governor’s Tax drive. 

We wrote the request through the ministry of agriculture as earlier specified sir, and copies of the document was also forwarded to the ministry of environment to notify them that their support was required in the area of land approval for the program. we also copy the commissioner for works to support in the area of bulldozing and the grading of the only access road to the community farmland. Of which we believed thata kick off grant for the group’s program to commence fully, may be provided for by your office through the office of the commissioner for commerce, via the director of co-operatives. As the Farmers Association was made up of various cooperatives that agreed to work together for the betterment of the sector. Although the ministry of environment took action on the document and started the process of releasing a 100 acres farmland to the group for the pilot program in Okokhuo Reserve, but stopped the process halfway, with no reason established.

We felt dejected when Unfortunately the government does not see anything good in the request for partnership sent to her by this group through the commissioner of agriculture. For example a comprehensive documentation on how we will work with the government, the type of association we are, the class of people to be involved in the business were included in the proposal presented to the commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Abdul Oroh, as well with the Ovia North East local government chairman Mrs.Lucy Omagbon Who also received a copy of the document. which was titled “Repositioning and Sustainability of Agriculture in Edo State”. A copy of the document was also published in our web page.

You may never find a more authentic program to be designed and executed by any farmers’ group in the state, because it took time and effort for the managers of ACFA to put their ideas in paper. Only for it to be thwarted by those in authority, who are in position to assist.

In the proposal we assured the state government that they should not embarrass any farmer in the state that benefited from the N1b. (One Billion Naira Only) loan in 2011 that ACFA has a way of getting back the money without duress or by  stressing the beneficiarries. The government was also assured that ACFA will collect taxes from all farmers in the farm and every other registered farmers in the state and remit thus to the state government coffer without traumatizing the farmers.
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Yours faith fully,

All Cooperative Farmers Association, Edo State.

ACFA ALONE CAN DO IT

Having clearly understood that the struggle for national food security, sustainable and viable market expansion policies, creating employment for youth through sustainable agricultural programs, calls for viable organizational structure which is built to enhanced, workable and massive production, processing and packaging options that will guarantee food security as we mass-produce various kinds of agricultural food products, and supply its supplementary services. i.e, the required industrial raw materials needed by various companies. ACFA is positioned to set a new pace in this direction.

Our primary aim is to provide employment opportunities for rural labor force. These could comprise the youth, mothers and our fathers who needed other streams of income to support their family needs. Mainly in the area of sponsoring their children to succeed in their educational career.

This task includes timeline and efficiency of production, preservation, processing, and packaging of agricultural products in a comfortable atmosphere and a hygiene environment.

On this background, we are sending a well-timed message to the government of the day, through the Honorable Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to realize the fact that no matter how hard the government will try, they cannot on their own provide the required food for the people unless they partner with groups like our to congregate our people to assist them in the production. As agriculture alone is another main economy rescuer any intelligent government can confide in. Hence, toiling with this sector at this critical time when it is clear that nations are facing economic turn around, instances of food shortage (Matthew 24:7), economic meltdown. Cases of various degrees of insecurity around the globe that we observe presently, may cause escalation of bewilderment in the economy.

We in (ACFA) therefore recommend that governments at all levels should support the effort of the farmers’ co-operative movement as a collective body under All Co-operative Farmers Association to enhance food sufficiency which will lead to self sustenance.

The ideal behind ACFA FARM is that; “solutions to Africa’s problems should come from Africans”. With a target of two years in mind, ACFA, hope to become a real pillar of attraction, in the stabilization of our nations dwindling economy. Because agriculture will replace petroleum which presently is the only source of revenue in Nigeria. 

ONLY ACFA has this plan.

ACFA promise to deliver, if they are considered for this privilege

ACFA Team

ACFA’s OVERTURE: Our Proposal

Purpose Of Writing this Document:

The purpose of writing this document is to use it as a means to establish a relationship between the various ministries and the Association. We also wish to use this write up as a vehicle to present an overview of the challenges and opportunities for Co-operative Societies in the state, most particularly, the cooperative Farmers group.

This farmers coordinating unit mainly comprise youths who have chosen to venture into agriculture in their various local government area. This document is also to help the Association package and present the various identified opportunities in Cooperative and Agriculture, and to make recommendations that will result in encouraging other graduate youths who may have reasons to embrace agriculture.

We in ACFA are sure that with our findings so far, it will make us to be part of the great change going on in the agricultural sector around the world today.

THE IDEA BEHIND THE PROGRAM

The proposed program is developed to enhance residual source of income for communities with productive land for agriculture, rather than relying on the discovery of oil alone or on government’s allocation. The other side is aimed towards preparing the young people, women and the unemployed among us to have access to their own means of employment through agricultural development; instead of the youth, and the unemployed from the council area invading the Big Cities to waste their productive years or to constitute nuisance. It is possible that the chance of getting a white collar job is very minimal.

With reasonable number of youths and well determined persons in the farming business, ACFA believes they have set the ball-rolling for the transformation of our locally made product into finished products and hereby, make for food security.

Structure Of The Program

This program is expected to serve as a platform to bring all determined and serious minded farmers in the LGA together in a way that they will be able to complement themselves in a convenient and suitable environment. It will also help to settle young school leavers in  a  specified  area  of  land,  making  farming  their career  thereby  preventing  them  from  moving to the urban areas in search of white collar jobs, they may never find. These settled farmers will be able to design and develop a model in good farming systems. The type that will attract other farmers residing in nearby villages. 

 

The Program Proper:

The All Co-operative Farmers Association (ACFA) Youth Economic Opportunity Programming (YECOP) has increasingly been designed to reach young people in rural areas, so as to stem the tides of migration, and to reduce rural poverty. We expect this gesture to spur the youths up to embrace this agricultural development program.

While there is already growing mass of research and practitioner experiences, there is much to learn. Practitioners, policymakers, funders, researchers, and educators will eventually be encouraged to recognize that the characteristics, assets and needs of young people in urban and remote areas are distinct. Therefore, this Association is working on ways to expand on their field-tested tools, and innovative approaches that can inform the development of higher impact and more scalable initiatives which will lead to more jobs and business opportunities for the youths, women and other unemployed in the rural areas.

The main objective of this scheme is actually to make for food sufficiency and also to supplement the unemployment situations being faced by the various governments. It is also expected to address the rampant insecurity problems being faced by the citizens of the states respectively and the nation in general.