FG considering farmers to own houses through agricultural activities — Minister
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria, Mustapha Shehuri, Tuesday, July 21, disclosed that the Federal Government is considering farmers to own houses through their agricultural activities.
Shehuri made the disclosure during the opening ceremony of the first virtual edition of the Abuja International Housing Show (AIHS), which is the 14th of its series.
According to him, farmers should be entitled to the opportunity of owning a home through their farming activities executed around the proposed Agricultural Industrial Parks, Green Houses, and Staple Crops Processing Zones.
He further stated that if the system is adequately developed with policies and programmes will add value to their lives and boost their morale in agribusiness as they live close to their farms
He also said there should be a linkage between agricultural activities and housing in order to boost farm output of farmers towards positive contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, and overall economic growth, hence the need for a strong partnership between the housing and agricultural sectors.
Other speakers on the virtual Abuja International Housing Show include Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Chief Executive Official of Real United Kingdom, Ian Shapiro; Representative of Canadian International Housing Finance, Andre Asselin; Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN, Ahmed Dangiwa, and others. The event will be will end on July 25, 2020.
He said: “The commitment of the present administration to agriculture and rural development has birthed a lot of policies and programmes that are already making significant differences in the sector.
“It is envisaged that farmers should be entitled to the opportunity of owning a home through their farming activities executed around the proposed Agricultural Industrial Parks, Green Houses, and Staple Crops Processing Zones.
“The yield from their farms which are sold to off-takers guarantees them adequate security to demand a housing loan or mortgage.”
He also pointed out that the solution to rural-urban migration in Nigeria depends on stakeholders to establish a strong link between agriculture and housing.
(The Vanguard)
