The Federal Government has urged smallholder farmers across Nigeria to strengthen their cooperative societies and adopt collective marketing as part of efforts to increase their incomes and improve their bargaining power.
The call was made as the government emphasised the need for farmers to move beyond individual production and sales and take advantage of collective action to secure better market opportunities.
According to the report by Daily Trust, stronger cooperatives can help farmers pool their resources, access markets more effectively and negotiate better prices for their produce. (Daily Trust)
The government’s position comes amid ongoing efforts to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s food security. Recent federal agricultural programmes have also focused on providing smallholder farmers with improved inputs, financing and support across the agricultural value chain.
In July, the Federal Government announced the distribution of more than 10 million bags of fertiliser and a Guaranteed Price Model targeting two million smallholder farmers nationwide under the Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund. (Fmino)
The government has also promoted irrigation and other measures aimed at supporting year-round farming, particularly as farmers contend with changing weather patterns and rising production costs. (Fmino)
Beyond increasing production, agricultural experts have increasingly highlighted value addition as another avenue for improving farmers’ earnings. Processing, sorting, packaging and branding can enable producers to sell products at higher prices rather than relying solely on the sale of raw farm produce. (Independent)
The Federal Government’s latest advice therefore places emphasis not only on what farmers produce, but also on how they organise, market and sell their products.
Through stronger cooperatives and collective marketing, farmers can potentially improve access to markets and strengthen their position within the agricultural value chain, while government support programmes continue to target productivity and food security.
