By Ahmed Ahmed
The Speaker Bauchi State House of Assembly Abubakar Suleman has called on legislators to develop laws supporting agricultural policies.
Suleman made the plea in Jos recently during a one-day policy dialogue to address policy gap in agricultural extension service delivery towards improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Bauchi State and Gombe State.
He said that lack of good implementation of policies was hindering agricultural development in the country.
The speaker said that involvement of legislators would help to pass back up laws that would aid development.
“We know that if there are existing laws even with changes in government there will be continuity,” the speaker said.
Similarly, speaking during the occasion, the programme Manager, Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme, Mr Maina Awan, said that the government had given the programme huge financial support.
He said that small scale farmers were given support in various areas to boost their production within the state to ensure food security.
Furthermore, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) with support from Oxfam said that the programme was organised to help farmers in the states.
Mr Chinedu Bassey, the programme Manager CISLAC, said that the organisation had conducted several engagement across both states.
Bassey said that the engagement was to advance opportunities for the effective implementation of agricultural development programmes, including the adoption and adaptation (domestication) of the National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP), among others.