By Fatima Muraina

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Over 5,000 women farmers in Ondo state have called for government’s assistance to improve their agricultural production to tackle food scarcity in the state and the country at large.
The President of All Women Farmers Association in Nigeria who is also the Ondo state President of Women farmers, Mrs Comfort Fape made the appeal in an interview with The Hope yesterday in Akure.
Mrs Fape said they have not benefited any assistance from government, saying the little they are doing was from self help which has discouraged many of them from venturing into agricultural sector.
“We are appealing for government’s assistance on grants, loan or irrigation facilities to boost our production to curb hunger.”
“We have over 10,000 members but have reduced to about 5,000 due to non assistance from government which has caused scarcity and high cost of food in the state and the country at large.”
She raised the need for government’s intervention to empower them and assist them on irrigation system with particular emphasis on grants and loans so that they can produce massively to tackle food scarcity in the state and country at large.
She said women should be encouraged saying that empowering a woman is like empowering the whole nation as women will make judicious use of whatever assistance they get from government.
According to her, any woman that is given just a thousand naira will know how to manage the amount to invest in Okro and from there becomes a supplier to others.
“Women are into planting of cocoa, rice, cassava, maize, pepper, vegetables and many other arable crops which can improve the economic situation of the state if given necessary consideration,” she said.
Fape said only 400 women benefitted from cocoa loan which was extended to them through an individual who accessed the fund from Abuja.