Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN) has faulted the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development over its exclusion in the launch of the 5-year rolling plan for Irish potatoes.
The National President (POFAN), Chief Daniel Okafor, expressed displeasure while speaking in Abuja on Wednesday.
Okafor said despite the effort by POFAN to reposition potato status in the country, the ministry was yet to recognize its effort, adding that such an attitude was discouraging and unpleasant to members.
”It beats my imagination that all the efforts we made to reposition potato status including running a training program free in Plateau and other states are not recognised.
”Not even the POFAN chairman in Plateau was invited to the launch of the program. POFAN is not contacted in any of the programs across the states.
“Recall that it was our organization that brought the issue of Irish potato in Plateau to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
“We collaborated with the Netherlands and pursued it until they expressed interest. Who then are the farmers they discovered to work with,” he queried.
Okafor, however, said that there seemed to be some undertones by excluding the association, adding that POFAN had played a pivotal in ensuring the sustainability of Irish potatoes in the country.
“I am complaining because you know the role my organization played, that’s what we get from these people after suffering for them with an open mind.
“It’s a disaster and a pity that POFAN was not carried along. This is the same Ministry we presented a proposal penultimate week in a meeting we had with them just before the launch.
He said POFAN inaugurated a 10-year rolling plan two years ago which they were invited, adding that the ministry was not unaware of its contribution to the potato agric subsector.
He said the ministry had been sidelining POFAN in its program.
”We shall soon come out in a different way to protest it. It’s becoming unbecoming.”
