The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Meals Safety stated it should overhaul the agricultural cooperative system to allow it ship its mandate successfully according to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the federal authorities.
Minister of state for agriculture and meals safety, Sabi Abdullahi said this in Abuja when he flagged-off the distribution of farm inputs to the cooperative farmers.
He stated that the repositioning will create a cooperative sector that’s reliable, clear, and accountable to display the transformative energy of cooperation in bettering lives and communities by way of agriculture.
The minister acknowledged that the present cooperative legal guidelines are outdated and haven’t saved tempo with latest dynamics, resulting in a decline in belief and participation.
In keeping with him, the revamp will deal with these points head-on, with a concentrate on updating laws, selling transparency, and rebuilding belief throughout the cooperative motion.
One of many important elements of the proposed reforms, the minister stated, is to guard Nigerian farmers from fraudulent practices by unscrupulous cooperatives.
He additionally expressed concern about residents being scammed by so-called cooperatives which he added, “We should put an finish to this, our focus is on strengthening cooperative regulation to make sure that solely duly registered cooperatives can function”.
He stated, “Moreover, ongoing analysis and evaluation will likely be carried out to keep up compliance. Licences will likely be withdrawn from these not adhering to moral practices.”
We have already got a finances line this yr to assessment all legal guidelines within the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Meals safety sector, in order that people who require amendments will likely be carried out, the cooperative regulation acquired the final modification in 2004”.
“We have to make sure that regulation of cooperatives is correctly carried out. A scenario the place Nigerians are being scammed by so referred to as cooperatives, we now have to cease we’re going to do all we will to strengthen cooperative regulation.
It’s time to make sure that our cooperative efforts work for the residents of Nigeria. Allow us to construct a sturdy cooperative sector that empowers our farmers and contributes to our nation’s prosperity”, the minister added.