The National Apex of Nigeria Farmers Cooperative Societies Limited, NANFACOS, disclosed moves to galvanise the potential of over 8 million farmers who are members of 90,000 organised cooperative organizations to boost food production along various value chains. This was made known by the National President, NANFACOS, Chief Nwogwugwu Uzoma, while commending President Muhammadu Buhari for including farmers in the 2000 bus scheme unveiled recently in Abuja for various cooperatives across various sectors of the economy. According to Uzoma practicing farmers will be self-reliant having been sensitized in their various agribusinesses and value chains, which will lead to massive food production in the country.
However, he (Uzoma) stated that farmers in the country are still grappling with challenges to transport their farm produce to various markets across the country which also makes it difficult for marketers and consumers to access their products, hence spend a huge amount of money to transport their goods to markets, which most times do not make profits. He said: “NANFACOS is ready to use the agricultural value chain to see that over 90,000 organized cooperative bodies with an individual membership of over 8,750,000 co-operators scattered all over the country who are practicing farmers will be self-reliant having been sensitized in their various agribusiness. “NANFACOS was set up to complement efforts of the federal government in the agriculture sector.” He also said for rapid economic growth and development the government is to work together with cooperatives including NANFACOS. “We can achieve this if the federal government works in hand with NANFACOS being the apex body for all the farmer cooperatives in the country because the development of any society must be cooperative and private sector driven”, he added
SOURCE: VANGUARD