Readers
Comments
"Un petit pause", a French way of saying, it is a time to
pause, relax and permit my esteemed readers to air their views on my previous
articles. As usual, there are many reactions to my column and it is important
to share such reactions in form of "Readers Comments" with general
public. However, some of the comments have to be edited either for reason of
space or clarity or both. Happy reading.
Peeping at the Nigerian Research and Development Centres:
NAERLS Test Running Farmers National Helpline Centre
Dear Prof
Othman
Permit me
to congratulate National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services
(NAERLS) for the laudable innovation to serve the Nigerian Farmers. The
National Farmers Helpline Centre is an efficient extension approach capable of
improving agricultural productivity. However, I noted that NAERLS trained 400 unemployed
youths in AUGUST 2013 on behalf Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as agricultural extension
facilitators. During and after the training, the impression or the intention
was that the trainees were to be immediately employed after the training and be
posted to their states of origin as extension facilitators. This was not done
till the end of President Goodluck E. Jonathan. I however note the current
effort of N-power and hope that the beneficiaries will receive the required
training to perform.
Dennis Terlumun Iorwua Gboko
Dear Prof
M. K. Othman
National
Farmers Helpline Centre is an innovative ICT infrastructure or information
super highway that will launch agribusiness across the divide; and ease
business with informed decision all round at real-time. It is certainly a giant
achievement for the nation. With proper and effective utilization, agriculture
productivity will be enhanced and the sector will attract investments within
and across the globe. Congratulations NAERLS & Bravo to the Green
Alternative of FMARD. We're getting it on course. We are eager to have the
centre fully operational and accessible to all Nigerians on sustainable manner
Prof.
Samson Aribido
Dear Prof
Othman
It is very interesting to note
that the NAERLS Farmers Helpline Centre will make market information (agricultural
commodities, prices, etc) available to the farmers and traders of agric
business. I am really an interested party, can you provide me with
MARKET
DAYS for Anchau, Soba, Tudun Saibu and Makarfi in Kaduna State, Dambatta,
Gujungu and Maigatari in Jigawa state?
Mansir Shehu
Dear
Othman
I write
to congratulate you, M K Othman for a well written and informative articles,
more grease to your elbows and keep the flag flying! Your article National
farmers helpline Centre is a concise write up worthy of sharing out with the
public. Thank you for your community service
Dr
Danladi Ningi, Federal Polytechnic Bauchi
Dear
Prof. Othman,
Let
me once again commend you for your lucid and insightful contribution on the
need and potential impact of the National Farmers Helpline on agricultural
extension in the country. It goes without saying that bringing technology into
the mix would extend the reach and capability of extension service providers as
they struggle to close the human resource gap within the sector.
I however must raise some concerns as to the sustainability of the project as envisioned in the article viz. the desire to see it as a toll-free service to farmers. Apart from the prohibitive cost of providing regular information to over 15 million farming households free of charge, there comes the even more important question of long-term sustainability. There is no greater measure of value than payment for a service. If the primary consumer of a service is unable or unwilling to pay for a service, then the impact of the service becomes doubtful. While critical information on disease outbreaks and containment measures should be broadcast free to farmers (of course free in the sense that the receiving party is not paying for it), value-added advisory and market information should be paid for by the requesting party, the beneficiaries. In the foregoing scenario, the government would pay for information it wants to broadcast to farmers, while farmers would pay for information they desire to improve their yield and increase their income.
Further on the service sizing, a truly national farmers helpline servicing 15 million farmers a year would be taking about 170 simultaneous calls all day if it worked for 10 hours each day 300 days in the year at an average of 2 minutes per call, and that is only if each farmer calls once in a year! The sheer human resource requirements of manning the helpline means that employing a 2 tier approach to fielding calls is inevitable, with a primary well resourced, professionally manned helpline to field all calls at the first level and pass on calls that require more technical help to the secondary helpline manned by subject matter experts. Of course there is a real cost to having all these people sitting around answering calls from morning to night that obviously goes beyond tax relief to the service providers involved! Nigeria is a big country with tens of millions of farmers who may all wish to enjoy good services from the Helpline Centre.
I however must raise some concerns as to the sustainability of the project as envisioned in the article viz. the desire to see it as a toll-free service to farmers. Apart from the prohibitive cost of providing regular information to over 15 million farming households free of charge, there comes the even more important question of long-term sustainability. There is no greater measure of value than payment for a service. If the primary consumer of a service is unable or unwilling to pay for a service, then the impact of the service becomes doubtful. While critical information on disease outbreaks and containment measures should be broadcast free to farmers (of course free in the sense that the receiving party is not paying for it), value-added advisory and market information should be paid for by the requesting party, the beneficiaries. In the foregoing scenario, the government would pay for information it wants to broadcast to farmers, while farmers would pay for information they desire to improve their yield and increase their income.
Further on the service sizing, a truly national farmers helpline servicing 15 million farmers a year would be taking about 170 simultaneous calls all day if it worked for 10 hours each day 300 days in the year at an average of 2 minutes per call, and that is only if each farmer calls once in a year! The sheer human resource requirements of manning the helpline means that employing a 2 tier approach to fielding calls is inevitable, with a primary well resourced, professionally manned helpline to field all calls at the first level and pass on calls that require more technical help to the secondary helpline manned by subject matter experts. Of course there is a real cost to having all these people sitting around answering calls from morning to night that obviously goes beyond tax relief to the service providers involved! Nigeria is a big country with tens of millions of farmers who may all wish to enjoy good services from the Helpline Centre.
Let
me end by agreeing with you that it is important that this is a collaborative
effort by all involved in providing extension information to farmers both in
the public and private space. Putting all available knowledge on a common
platform will not only enhance the quality of extension information received by
the farmer but as well as drive down the cost and time associated with
disseminating the information, making it a win-win for all involved.
Regards
Chike
Nwagwu, Novus Agro, Lagos
Dear
Prof M. K. Othman
Your
Column "Breakthrough with Prof MK Othman" in Leadership Friday, our
dependable Newspaper presents qualitative and educating articles to the general
readership. Bravo Prof. and Congratulation for this wonderful effort. Thank you
Mohammed Bilyamini, Kano
Nigerian born Inventors, their Inventions,
Challenges and Opportunities
Prof.
Othman
Your
5 - series article on Nigerian Born Inventors, their Inventions, Challenges and
Opportunities is a master piece that gives a vivid picture of untiring efforts
of Nigerians in technological development. The article nicely showcased the
innovation surge in Nigeria with three great examples of brave people. High
caliber of Nigerian men and women with great potential to excel. I will be
happy to contact them and support their developments internationally and bring
their innovation to the global arena. I'm fully convinced that international
focus will enrich inventors and facilitate Nigerian recognition worldwide.
Thanks for sharing this article.
Regards from Spain. Fernando
Ahmadu
Bello University Revolution in Seeds Technology
The
efforts Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in the area of seed technology are commendable.
In the same vein, a very big kudos to you sir (Prof. M.K Othman) for educating
millions of people especially Nigerians on this very important revolution made
in the history of Nigerian Agriculture. I think more avenues of information
dissemination should be explored so that the target beneficiaries which are the
peasant farmers would be kept abreast of this innovation. I must commend the
Executive Governor of Gombe State, Alh. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo for endorsing
the collaboration between the states' Ministry of Agriculture and the MDGs in
order for unemployed graduates of different fields of Agriculture in the state
to undergo intensive training in the specialized field of Agricultural Extension
by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS)
A.B.U Zaria. This is an effort in the right direction and will in no small
measure boost Agricultural production in Gombe State. We, the Graduate Trainees
from Gombe State consider it a rare privilege to have you sir, and other
Scholars from NAERLS ABU Zaria as our facilitators. Keep on the good work Prof.
Yusuf
Ayuba Bishara, Extension Trainee, Gombe State.
Dear
Prof Othman
You
are right, my Professor, in saying the way forward for developing Agriculture "is
the development, promotion and adoption of improved indigenous technologies
that are suitable to our farming system". The honouroble Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe said a similar thing. He
wanted all undergraduates to have some experience in agriculture regardless of
their course of study. While his wish may have to undergo some professional
consideration, it is a welcome suggestion that denotes awareness towards the
crux of the matter. The next step is to encourage those that can actualize his
intention at the government level to do so. Let's look inward for indigenous
sustainable technology for solving our problem. -
Mansir Shehu, Zaria
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