The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to create a database of farmers.
This initiative aims to enhance support interventions for farmers and boost food security in line with President’s 8-point agenda.
The database, known as the farmer register, will utilize the National Identity Number (NIN) and biometric information to identify genuine farmers and their farmland. This will help address issues and provide targeted support to farmers.
The NIMC has a 3-month timeline to capture the biometric information of farmers and has formed a working group to operationalize the plans.
To reach rural farmers, the NIMC will partner with the private sector and utilize its offices in every local government across the country. The initiative also includes a financially inclusive card that will provide various functionalities for farmers.
Abubakar Kyari, the minister of Agriculture and Food Security revealed this in his remarks at the signing ceremony which was held in the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to Kyari, “What we have just signed now with the National International Commission is the development of a farmer register.
“We are going to use the platform that NIMC has, that is to say, the National Identity Number (NIN), and also the card, which will contain all the biometric information of the individual farmer”.
First and foremost, what is key about this is we are going to identify the farmland or the farm space and also plug in the farmer. So that is where we are now going to actually register a genuine farmer, which will have only one biometric and one NIN number.
So, we know precisely we are going to have a register that seeks to intervene and support a genuine farmer that is really an advocacy register, and that will restore all kinds of issues that we have had”.
The minister noted that the process was in line with Mr. President’s 8-point agenda on food security to intervene and support the real farmer, which will now produce more, that will give us a successful and bountiful harvest.
Source; (NigerianTribune)
