Societies have actually come to define themselves by the manner and extent of their success in boosting agricultural output. The most frequent and efficient extensive adjustment to agricultural production in Nigeria historically has been to increase the area of land planted.
Therefore, the agricultural and rural institutions in Nigeria are at a turning point. This is due to the fact that although agriculture is growing, the growth is not sustainable.
The inertia brought on by interventions and reforms in policies and programmes that were prevalent in Nigeria, particularly during the post-colonial era, is still a problem in agriculture.
Nigeria places a high priority on the agricultural sector since it helps the farmer, the community, and the country as a whole. Among the advantages of agriculture are the provision of raw materials for industries, the production of food for a growing population, a source of employment, revenue for farmers, and contributors to foreign exchange.
The degree of the agriculture sector’s economic contribution is, nevertheless, constrained by various issues. So, in order to fill up the gaps and encourage the expansion of the agricultural sector, agricultural policies are developed.
This is a list of Agricultural Policies in Nigeria:
-
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER POLICY
The dissemination of practical and helpful information on agriculture with the intention of enhancing farmers’ welfare through the use of such knowledge is one of the goals for which this policy was formed. The various state governments make sure that channels for extension services contribute to the transmission of technology by offering enough training infrastructure and facilities. Other strategies used to meet the goal of this strategy include encouraging private sector investment in the distribution of agricultural information and creating efficient channels of communication between researchers, extension agents, and farmers.
-
AGRICULTURAL CREDIT POLICY
The scarcity of funds available to farmers, particularly those of rural extraction, has been identified as a major source of concern for the advancement of agriculture in Nigeria. The Agricultural Credit Policy was established in response to the situation, with the main goal of assembling adequate investment funds that are easily accessible to farmers at rates that stimulate growth in the This is accomplished through the implementation of strategies such as a 10% increase in agricultural loans and advances, a change in interest rates to allow the Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Bank (NACB) to access funds from sources other than the Central Bank, and system monitoring to ensure adherence to guidelines. agricultural subsector.
-
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT MARKETING POLICY
This policy is intended to encourage agricultural product exports and the efficient distribution of seasonal agricultural produce at reasonable prices throughout the year. To achieve this goal, the government provides incentives to agricultural exporters, inspects products to be exported by State and Federal Produce Inspection Service to ensure ideal standards, and provides infrastructures such as roads, markets, and stora
-
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH POLICY
The Agricultural Research Policy aims to achieve the following goals: the development of improved seedlings, seeds, and fingerlings capable of high yield, the development of more efficient ways for farmers to engage in farming activities such as planting, harvesting, processing, and storing farm produce, and the optimal utilisation of fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, and other farm inputs to mitigate the adverse effects on man and the environment.
-
AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION POLICY
-
The primary goal of the Agricultural Mechanization Policy is to reduce the toil of human labour in the agriculture industry by replacing drudgery with mechanical power. Because wages for human labour account for a significant portion of the total cost of production, the use of mechanised equipment significantly reduces the total cost of agricultural production.
-
-
AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY STORAGE POLICY
The purposes Agricultural Commodity Storage Policy include ensuring the nation’s food security through the use of storage programmes that ensure year-round food supply. Another important goal of this policy is to improve inter-seasonal and inter-year price stability.
-
This policy focuses on the restoration of areas that have been affected by natural disasters such as erosion, drought, and flooding in order to prevent the spread to unaffected areas through the use of effective protection measures.POLICY FOR PEST CONTROL
The Pest Control Policy’s objectives include protecting Nigerians and animals from vectors of deadly diseases, as well as controlling and monitoring economic pests with potentially damaging effects on agricultural production. The strategies used to revolve around the aforementioned goals.
This agricultural policy was established primarily for the development of underwater and surface water resources, dam construction and maintenance, pollution control in water bodies, and erosion control.PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES
The policy’s goal includes the preservation of perishable agricultural produce, which invariably reduces waste and price fluctuations caused by the seasonality of agricultural produce. There is a diversification of employment opportunities with the establishment of small-scale commodity processing industries in rural areas.
The goal of this policy is to train extension workers in various aspects of agriculture, from vocational to professional, to serve Nigerian farmers. The Agricultural Manpower Development and Training Policy is in charge of regulating extension worker training and even providing funds for additional training in acquiring agriculture-related enlightenment and knowledge relevant to farmers’ education.INVESTMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN AGRICULTURE POLICY ON ADVISORY SERVICES
This policy aims to encourage private sector investment in agriculture and to create an environment in which these investors can thrive. The policy is in charge of coordinating management services for commercial farming groups like medium and small-scale farmers.