Food security: Stakeholders meet to brainstorm on insurance policies for farmers in Niger

Stakeholders recently gathered to explore how insurance companies can make their policies more attractive to farmers by encouraging them to insure agricultural products against natural disasters.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Niger State government, agricultural insurance companies, farmers, insurance sector experts and international organizations, all focused on protecting farmers’ investments.

Dr. Ken Ukaoha, President, National Association of Nigerian Entrepreneurs (NANTS), in his opening remarks at the workshop titled “Enhancing Agricultural Resilience through Farmer-Centric Insurance Products” held on Thursday, emphasized the importance of farmer insurance in ensuring food security in Minna.

The aim of the workshop was to increase farmers’ resilience and enhance productivity, incomes and livelihoods in the rice, maize, soybean, cowpea and vegetable value chains in Niger State.

Dr. Ukaoha said the ongoing massive investment by the Governor of Niger State, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago in agriculture has necessitated a meeting of key actors to determine how best to protect such huge investments.

He said this could only be achieved by providing farmers in the state with the key to their insurance policy by insuring their crops and produce to protect them against any natural disaster.

According to Ukaoha, the Bago administration cultivates 10,000 hectares of land in each of its 25 local government areas. He noted that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) seasonal rainfall forecasts underscore the need for both the government and farmers to insure crops.

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“There are disasters such as floods, deforestation, climate change, droughts and fire outbreaks that can affect farmlands. Only insurance will help farmers get back on their feet after such disasters,” Ukaoha said.

“Therefore, this workshop aims to discuss how insurance companies can make their policies farmer-friendly to gain their trust and what farmers are expected to do to also gain the trust of these insurance companies.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Nigerien Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Mattew Ahmed, said the workshop was timely, stressing that the state government was investing about N50 billion in rainy season agriculture.

He said that through the workshops, farmers will be sensitized about the importance of insurance and the benefits it can bring to them.

Ahmed disclosed that only two percent of farmers in Niger State insure their crops and urged farmers to subscribe to insurance policies.

The representative of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Mr. Godswill Agwuyi, said the organization was working to improve the lives of smallholder farmers through access to credit and finance.

Additionally, the President of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Niger, Malam Idris Abini, noted that his members benefited from N16 million from the insurance company in 2018 and 2019.

He promised to sensitize RIFAN members in the state on the importance of insurance, its benefits and the need to get involved.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE