In
the process to co-ordinate the activities of all co-operative Societies in the
Local Government Area, Ovia
North East local government area farmers Multi-purpose Co-operative union
limited has been set up with the mandate to fill up the gap between the
co-operators and the government.
After fulfilling all
the requirement of registration as requisite by Law to function as a statutory
body, we deemed it fit to officially inform you of the existence of this group
as the Apex co-operative in the Local Government Area. Also the regulatory body
for all co-operative in Ovia North-East Local Government Area. With objectives,
as stated below;
i.
To
organize thrift and credit operations
ii.
To
provide credit for labour and consumption finance
iii.
To disseminate
the knowledge of modern farming to our affiliate members by having the services
of agric extension officers and production/processing professionals.
iv.
To handle other
measures designed towards uplifting the lifestyles of our registered members,
and also to encourage them to apply the principles which teach oneness and
cooperation among our affiliates.
v.
To market the
produce of our members for better price, and also to provide storage facilities
for inputs, farm products, machinery, etc.
We
are very proud to present this result and request in this great crowd because
it is a report of good performance. Mr. Chairman Sir, we the executives and
members of this great farmers Union wants to partner with the management of
Ovia North East local government Area in order to develop agriculture and
ensure massive production for our people. We thank you for always giving hears
to our plight at all times. We want to bring to your notice that any nation
that really wants to succeed in stabilizing her economy must do well to develop
the agricultural sector. As this is the only sector that is never weary out.
Hence we the Ovia North-East Farmers recognize the reasons to partner with you
in this regard as this partnership will help to reposition Agriculture in the
Area.
So far the union is
made up of co-cooperative society spread across the 13 ward in the local
government area. The aim of this coming together of farmers is to make sure
that farmers in the local government speak with one voice as it will appreciate
to addressing the problem affecting individual/co-operative farmers in the
area. It is remarkable to note that Igbobi community have supported this body
with a piece of land measuring 100ft
by 200ft for the purpose of supporting the effort of this union towards the
processing factory for plantain ships/flower and extraction of starch, proposed
by the Union. We humbly call on our amiable chairman and his executives
therefore to support in the construction of this factory . We are very sure
that this will help to add value to our farm products. Chairman sir , we the
farmer in Ovia North East Local Government Area wish to assure you that if
given the necessary support, we will
flock the market with sufficient food products at a cheaper rate.
A TARGET SET
To
speed up the reformation process which will in turn translate to the
sustainability of this venture, The Edo State Farmers Agency has set up Target
for all farmers Union in the Eighteen Local Government Area that make up this
Edo State Agency, to do the best they could in order to make food available and
affordable for their various local government area, as this will complement the
effort of the Chairmen who are doing everything possible to put food in the
table of their citizenry.
We
want to make it clear sir that this Union was formed based on the cooperative
organizational structure as contained in the policy document of the Nigeria
Cooperative movement.
Section
82D of the book states: “The Unions must act firmly as mouth piece
for the societies that they represent”. As this is expected to boast their
relevance and ensure success. Also in
the book, ‘Co-operative administration
in Nigeria authored by S.Owojuyigbe, page 28 paragraph 1 to page 29 paragraph 1
states: “Members of secondary co-operative societies are corporate bodies of
primary cooperative societies. When primary societies join together, they
become an association which may affiliate to a secondary society or a union.
The union renders services to the primary societies”. Such services as outlined
below:-
ü Giving advance loan/grants.
ü Making sure the books of the primary
societies affiliated to them are up to date
ü Thrift and credit operations.
ü Stock quality seeds and distribution to farmers
ü To provide hire facilities of tractors and other farm
machinery.
ü To distribute fertilizers and other farm chemicals
ü To provide spraying equipments and chemicals
ü To provide credit for labour and consumption finance
ü To provide fishing gears and equipment.
ü To disseminate knowledge on modern farming by having
the services of extension officers and agric professionals.
ü To provide services for harvesting, pooling, grading
and transporting.
ü To market the produce for better price, while
providing storage facilities for inputs, farm products, machinery, etc.
ü To undertake simple processing of the products of the
farmers
ü To procure and distribute consumer commodities.
ü Any other measures designed on cooperative principles
to encourage among its members the spirit and practice of cooperation.
These are some of the
services that unions could offer to primary cooperative. The union also helps
them to source for fund and also do their best to add value to the products of
the primary societies. On this basis sir, the Ovia North East Local Government
Farmers Multi-purpose co-operative union having been supported with a plot of
land measuring 100 by 200ft in Igbobi community of Oghede ward, O.N.E.L.G Area
wish to solicit for your support to enable them start up the plantain chips/flour
and starch processing mill proposed to be set up in that community, by the
management of the union.
We are very confident
that you will support this venture. As prior to now, there is no doubt that we have
not been making maximum use of our productive land. Note sir that the farmers
in this local government area has not been very happy as most of the food we
consume is imported from the neighboring states. This trend we would have been
able to curb if the appropriate authority has made provisions for the farmers
to:-
A. Support the farmers to access
available Loans and Grants directed towards these hardworking group of persons
in our communities. Therefore, we want to solicit our able Chairman to support
farmers in the Local Government Area with soft loans. As this will assist the
farmers to diversify from only cassava cultivation to other crops as mentioned
in section “D” of page 5
B. We also humbly implore you sir, to
assist co-operative in your L.G. Area to offset their own part of the FADAMA
III counterpart fund in order for all your farmers to benefit from this
program. As their benefit will also help project the kind of lifestyles lived
in Ovia North East.
C. Being a new group just formed, there
is every tendency that starting up grant will go a long way to enable this Union
to rent a place which will be used as the secretariat of the Farmers Union.
Before we succeed in setting up permanent office in the proposed Organized
Farmers Community (O.F.C) when you finally approve an area for us, to start up
the farmers mechanized farming project.
For example, we have a
very fertile land that can be used for the cultivation of tomatoes. But because
our farmers are not given the required assistant, this make it seem as if our
farmers are not qualified to produce the crop. The issue of yellow yam in our
market has become a thing of the past. But is it really true that if our
farmers are aided that they cannot keep producing this yam? (Ikpen).
It looks like a dream
to many that water-melon consumed in this state is the product of Edo Land.
Before this era, Edo Farmers were deceived that water-melon cannot do well in
the state. But with required support farmers in the Local Government Area are
ever willing to flock the market with this product at a cheaper rate, under the
management of Ovia North East Farmers Union.
We are very sure that we
are not asking for too much from you sir, if what we are requesting for is just
to support your farmers, in order to enable our farmers produce more for the
Local Government Area and the nation in general. After carefully analyzing the
areas we want to address in our urge to reform the farming industry in Ovia
North East Areas listed below is the area we actually needs the assistant of
the Local Government authority:
i.
We
want to expand on the production and preservation of cocoa
ii.
As
spelt out in our write-up, we want to be very sure we can produce the required
quantity of plantain to run our plantain chips/flour factory.
iii.
We
wish to set-up the organize farmers community, where farmers will dwell
together to share Ideas together in order to enhance the development of seeds
and other materials expected to upgrade the lifestyle of the farmers in Ovia
North East.
iv.
We
believe we can add value to cassava product if we embark on the processing of
starch into powder in the proposed Ovia North East Cottage industry.
v.
We
have well organized snail farmers who are ever ready to flock our markets with
assorted sizes of snail at affordable prices. We want to boast this department
because of the essentiality of the product.
vi.
You
very well know sir that Fadama is a World Bank Program geared towards
empowering farmers’ for better production. But the problems farmers are facing are
for our various governments to play their role and also assist farmers that
could not meet up financially to benefit from the program. It is compulsory to
do this because if the farmers cannot benefit, it may affect the farming
Industry negatively, in the state or Local Government Area.
This write- up is just
to intimate you of our intention to reform the agricultural sector in your
domain. This automatically means that the Ovia North East Farmers union is
saying “we can’t do this repositioning work independently of your support for
us”. Therefore sir, we want you to assist us urgently in the areas outlined
below:
A. Apportion to us a reasonable size of
farmland where the union will be able to oversee the affairs of all farmers in
the area affiliated to her. In order to guard them through the process of
cultivation and also working towards adding value to their products in order to meet export standard.
B. Help us to start up our plantain
chips/flour and starch processing factory expected to be cited in a parcel of
land contributed to this union free to aid their reformation move. this will
help the farmers have a ready market for their produce as the cottage industry
will always be available to acquire and process such product as they might
require {Land cited in Igbobi Community} also hoping to locate space of land in
Okada and Idumwengie. Where such factories will be cited for the Union
C. We want you sir to help us speed us
the process of Fadama III so that beneficiaries can make meaningful use of it.
We also expect sir that groups qualified that cannot afford their counterpart
fund, should be assisted in this regard.
D. It has been established that
tomatoes, pepper, watermelon, yellow yam/other yam, rice, beans and onions can
do very well in our land, if farmers can be sponsored to training on ways to
develop these product in the Local Government Area. We the executives of ONEFU will be most grateful
if your honorable office can resolve to assist us in these areas as the first
Local Government in the state to do so. Note sir, agriculture is the base of
Nigeria foundation.
E. Our local farmers are seriously in
need of chemicals to protect their crops from black pod disease, as it is posing
a serious threat to local cocoa farmers in the area in recent time.
F. We have resolved sir that if the land
we intend to use for the farmers’ village is approved for us, we will set up
fish pond. The type that will be able to provide sufficient fish for consumption
in the Local Government Area and for export. We will also set up piggery and
poultry. Glory be to God, as the waste from these farms will aid our move to
develop a dung to produce natural fertilizer for our use in the farmers
village.
G. The Union on behalf of all the
co-operative Societies in the Local Government Area also request for your
support to add value to their products by means of assistance in the area of
material needed to burn charcoal to export standard. We believe there is a lot
of benefit you will derive from this venture if we finally succeeds. We don’t
want to request for too much at this time sir. But to start with these which we
believe are within your power to accomplish for the zealous and heart warming
re-awakened sector of our great economy.
Benefits expected.
We envisage a lot of
benefits once this request is granted as this will enable the farmers in the
area to be well organized. This can only be achieved if all farmers are
encouraged to work together as a team. Be inform sir that in this proposed
farmers community, every co-operative society operating within the local
government area will be allotted a portion in this proposed Organized Farmers
Community (OFC). The synergic impact of this cohesion will thus lead to increased
output. As…..
1.
It
will enable the farmers in the local government area access this land which in
turn will urgment their re-organization for better produce.
2.
It
will help the farmers realize the reason(s) why they must live within the farm
environment.
3.
It
will enhance mass production, of agricultural products; thus leading to
increased food supply. As which will in turn help in the reduction in foodstuff
price.
4.
It
will help attract foreign investors to the local government area, to assist in
our urge to project agriculture in the locality.
5.
It
will project the image of farmers in the area and also help them be fitted in
their place in the scheme of things, as farmers from the most fertile land in
the country.
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