The National Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organizations of Nigeria, NCNCSON, has raised the alarm over the manner the ongoing farmers registration is being conducted in Taraba State.
Sounding the alarm on Thursday in a statement made available to journalists in Jalingo, the state capital by its state Secretary General, Mike Adiel, the group frowned at the centralization of the ongoing exercise in the state.
The registration exercise which is aimed at compiling crucial data for the agricultural community at the instance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, according to the statement, has begun to spark concerns for farmer welfare and safety.
The statement noted that reports from the registration point shows that majority of the farmers who ought to be the beneficiaries are finding it cumbersome to scale through the process.
The concentration of the registration points, according to the statement, has led to overcrowding, resulting in stampedes and unconfirmed reports of fatalities.
The statement observed that many farmers lack essential information about the registration process, raising doubts about the data’s quality.
Proffering ways out of the challenges, the organization called for decentralization of the registration points to ward levels or community headquarters, where local leaders possess intimate knowledge of the farming populace, to enhance accessibility and accuracy.
