From Haruna Usman, Birnin Kebbi
A middle aged woman identified as Hajiya Hadiza Muhammad Kola, a female farmer in kebbi state has decried government neglect on a few female farmers in the state, according to her since she ventured into farming as a female she has not been able to access any form of assistance from the kebbi government despite the state claim as a hub for farming.
Kola who started with one hectre of land and hired five more farms which she uses for rice and cash crop farming she grows in her farms sweet potato, pepper and tomatoes while in her large farm rice.
She explained that, she started it as hobby but now found herself a full blown farmer which she is sponsoring with her lean pension, she lamented that, she alongside other female farmers filled forms to access loan from the anchor borrowers scheme but her association was not given a kobo because the state is not serious with farming as claimed.
On whether she now need cash assistance from Kebbi government her words “i dont need cash assistance from government in any form, if the government really mean to farm it should provide farm impliments to real farmers particularly the women folk who are now treading the path of men” .
She urged the federal government to include the female gender in the formation of national agric policy as it will encourage more women to go into farming, she added that she works herself in her farms alongside labourers despite her age, so if both governments mean to move away from oil than a holistic avenue must be created to accommodate both genders as a way of encouraging them, she stated that sincerity and determination is what the government needs to accualise the dream of green Nigeria, kola call on women to go into farming as a means of livelihood to assist themselves and their husbands.
