Samson Ishaku Bugama is the commissioner of agriculture and natural resources in Plateau State, Nigeria. He was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Agrikeys Services Limited based in Abuja, FCT, and Jos, Plateau State. He is a trained agricultural economist with years of experience in agricultural finance and strategy from First Bank Nigeria Ltd. and Access Bank Plc. He obtained a Bachelor of Agric (Technology) in Agricultural Economics and Extension from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi and currently on a master’s programme in development studies at William Carey International University (WCIU) in Pasadena, California USA. He currently consults for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Feed the future. In this exclusive interview with NATHANIEL GBAORON in Jos, Bugama spoke on how the Plateau State government is transforming agriculture through youth empowerment and access to facilities and infrastructure development, among other issues…Excerpts
Plateau State used to be a major tomato hub in Nigeria, but it seems like the popularity of Jos tomatoes has diminished nationally. Can you share the reasons for this perceived decline and the state’s efforts to revitalise tomato farming in the state?
There is no decline in the production of tomatoes and vegetables on the Plateau. In fact, when we came in, tomatoes and vegetables were some of the huge government interventions. We created a crop zone for it that has boosted production of tomatoes. The point you raised may have been formed according to people’s sentiments. What I know is that most of our tomatoes are taken out and given some other names or branded as tomatoes coming from somewhere else. I must tell you about the efforts of his Excellency Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, the executive governor of Plateau State, has increased tomato production, and that has led to this sharp decline in tomato prices as we speak.
Insecurity has been a persistent issue in several parts of the country. How has this impacted agricultural activities in Plateau State, particularly smallholder farmers, and what measures is the government taking to secure farmers?
When we came in, insecurity was very, very high. But from 2023 to 2024, through the major interventions that his Excellency has led, insecurity, just like you know, has reduced. Part of the things that he has done to reduce the hardship of those affected, and I will give you an example. Last year, the government cultivated 6,000 hectares for communities that have been affected by the crisis, and this is basically to return their means of livelihood. We have seen that the yield was good, and we want to build on that and ensure that the 2024 outcomes will be a child’s play compared to 2025.
Could you speak to some of those initiatives of the state government to support farmers in Plateau, especially in the face of challenges like insecurity, climate change, and market access?
Let me start with access to the market. We created Plateau Commodity Marketing Company Limited (PLACOM), with which we are breaking the gap between middlemen and our farmers. This is to ensure that the farmers get more value for their produce. PLACOM is creating access to markets for these farmers and not waiting for them to look for the market. They are taking the market to the farmers. On the issue of insecurity, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum; therefore, we need general efforts, which Gov. Mutfwang is putting in, to enable our farmers to return back to their livelihood. On the issue of the inputs and all the likes, we have launched a portal for the Plateau Input Distribution System where farmers will receive text messages that will help them to go and redeem subsidies and inputs given to make farming much more efficient. On the issue of climate change, we are discussing with a world-class company that will do extension messaging through Weather Advisory Services, which we will share with our farmers. They will help to disseminate this information through the media, apart from our extension agents who are also directly providing those services to them. It is a wide range of things that we are doing to see that we achieve climate-smart agriculture.
Climate change has had its impact on farmers. How is the Plateau State addressing issues such as unpredictable rainfall, droughts, and other environmental factors that affect agricultural productivity?
We are addressing this with climate-smart extension messaging, real-time online.
We are in talks with a company and once we sign up, the name will then be disclosed to Plateau people. Their job will be to provide accurate weather forecasts and farming calendars for us so that we will know different crops that have a comparative advantage each time. They will also provide a farming calendar, and then the Weather Advisory Services that I spoke about will help people to know what to do at a particular time, knowing that climate change is already here with us. No one can predict accurately how the seasons will unfold, but this technology will help us to be able to farm within the window that the climate is suitable for us.
Technology is the in-thing globally. How is the Plateau State incorporating technology into agriculture? Are there plans to introduce modern farming techniques or agricultural innovations to improve productivity?
Yes, and like I stated about the Weather Advisory Services, this is purely technological. The Input Distribution System is also purely technological. We have gone into mechanisation with both handheld tools, tractors, and all of that to help ease agriculture for our farmers. Our intention is not just to increase yield per hectare but also to also increase access to land so that agriculture will improve, both in qualitative and quantitative terms.
How does the Plateau government plan to diversify the agricultural sector to ensure sustainable economic growth in the long term?
The first thing we did when we came in was a synopsis of the agricultural value chain. We discovered that one of the key things that was missing is processing; our people have been producing, but because there is no value addition, it has become a bit more difficult for them to make commensurate profit out of it. So we introduced our people to agribusiness for them to understand that if you are putting in money, you should be able to earn money and make adequate profit. We are looking at processing, and that informed our signing up for the special Agricultural Processing Zones. On the Plateau, we intend to have three areas mapped out for this—in Hypan, Barkin Ladi local government. We will have an industrial agricultural hub and then others in Mangu and Shendam local governments. This is to create a place where industries will come in and take some of the things that we have a comparative advantage in and process them so that value can be given to both companies that process and farmers that farm.
What infrastructure is the state government prioritising to support farming, in terms of rural roads, irrigation systems, and storage facilities?
That is exactly what the Special Agricultural Processing Zones will do. A few days ago, we launched about 60.5 kilometres of road under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), which Plateau State is key in. Our plan is to use some of these interventions to achieve our goals, and RAAMP gives us that opportunity to do rural access roads for our agriculture. Basically we are doing all of that through RAAMP, NG CARES, coupled with the state ministry of works projects to improve infrastructure in the rural areas.
Agriculture has the potential to provide jobs for young people in Plateau State. What strategies are in place to encourage youth involvement in farming and agribusiness?
First of all, we mainstream youth engagement in everything we do, as well as gender. We are deliberately exposing our youths, especially through training. We took about 420 of them for training on modern agricultural practices. We are also talking with the Leventis Foundation, which will soon start their school here on the Plateau. We are also discussing with several other organisations to see how they can come in and train the youths of Plateau State in agribusiness. We are also trying to see how we can create access to finance for them. We are currently working on a solution called Agric file; it is still in the works, and we will let the people know when it is ready. It’s a financial solution that should be able to provide funding for young people and encourage them to hugely get involved in agriculture. All these are geared towards massive agricultural transformation in the state.
How is the state government collaborating with private sector players, NGOs, and other stakeholders to boost agricultural development and ensure farmers have access to the right resources and markets?
Before now, USAID had expressions here before it was suspended. However, we are working with several other top International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs). If you follow our engagements, several of these other INGOs are coming here because of the strong and purposeful leadership they see in Governor Mutfwang. We are collaborating, and we are willing to partner with more organisations to see how we can open up access to our people.
The Plateau State is rich in agricultural produce, but post-harvest losses are often a challenge. What steps is the government taking to reduce these losses and improve income for the farmers and food security for both the state and the nation?
The establishment of the Special Agricultural Processing Zones will hugely help in post-harvest losses as well as PLACOM. This is because PLACOM goes to the farmers to off-take their produce, so you are going to greatly see the difference. Once you have a tomato processing plant, all that you do is ensure that most of the produce can be processed before they rot. For us, it is to see that this processing happens. That is why we are confident that PLACOM will deal a lot with the post-harvest losses that we currently have.
What would be your advice to the people of Plateau and Nigerians, especially to venture into agriculture and help the government drive its food sufficiency quest?
Agriculture is for all of us; it has nothing to do with just a ministry. Like the governor keeps saying, every one of us will have to plant something. Plant something in your house, plant something in the space behind your house, find a farm, and just plant something around, and that’s how we can achieve food sovereignty. The government will continue to do its best and see how we can create an enabling environment for farmers to thrive, but the ultimate will to thrive is in the farmer. I give you an example: if access credit is provided for a farmer, it will be for the farmer to repay the credit as and when due. We can create access to loans, but to utilise that access is in the hands of the farmer. My message to the people of Plateau and Nigerians is that let’s keep doing agriculture, and we will attain food sovereignty very soon.
