By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna.
Northern governors have been urged to sponsor enlightenment campaigns to farmers on the activities of the Nigerian Agricultural insurance corporation( NAIC)to improve their activities.
The kaduna State branch Manager of the corporation Malam Nasir Adamu made this call while fielding questions from Journalists.
According to him substantial number of farmers in the North are not aware and well acquainted, with the existence and functions of the Nigerian Agricultural insurance corporation.hence the need for State governments to help in enlightening them.
The NAIC branch Manager said the corporation was purposely established by the federal government to assist and provide succour to farmers in distress affected by calamities such as flooding bush fire,theft, disease outbreaks and other problem.
He explained that NAIC always provide financial support to the farmers who register with it, to cushion their hardship following any calamity that befall their farms, poultry,fishery and other farming activities.
Mallam Nasir Adamu stated that this is done by the Nigerian Agricultural insurance corporation NAIC , insurance cover in which Money is paid to the affected farmers or group of farmers.
He therefore commended Kaduna state Government for relentless effort in supporting the activities of NAIC in the state which led to assisting farmers in distress.
The branch manager further said the activities of NAIC differs from NEMA and SEMA as it only provides insurance cover to farmers whose farms were affected by one form of calamity or the other.
Mallam Nasir however identified lack of proper knowledge of the existence and activities of NAIC by small scale farmers as a great challenge which need to be addressed.
The NAIC boss in the state noted that most beneficiaries of the corporations insurance scheme are either elites and influencential farmers who are knowledgeable of the existence and functions of the organization, he concluded.