Most ‘on-the-ground Agriculture Minister’ getting the job done

Dear Editor,

MINISTER ‘Zulfi’ Mustapha is the most on-the-ground, farmer-centred and helpful Agriculture Minister in recent times, according to ‘persons in the street interviews’. Almost every farmer interviewed says he has been very active meeting farmers. Opinion polls also found he has an ongoing presence on the ground, and is one of the best-rated ministers for performance. He has been the most visible minister on the ground, implementing the government’s strategic goals and objectives in the ‘agri’ sector.

Under Mustapha, there has been enhanced production, employment, and economic growth of the ‘agri’ sector. Unlike his predecessor under the APNU+AFC-led coalition, ‘Zulfi’ has a presence all over the country. He has been effectively managing food production, supporting market access and agro-processing, coordinating food security initiatives, and strengthening interaction and inter-relation with stakeholders. His ministry supports the agri-food sector through initiatives that promote innovation and competitiveness and job creation.

Older people interviewed say he is the most visible minister on the ground they can remember since Independence in 1966.  The public also notes that he is an activist, and an action-oriented minister. Even his worst critics and detractors would concede that Agriculture Minister Mustapha is the most visible minister going around communities all over the country, spending most of his time with farmers rather than in an air-conditioned office. “He is working extremely hard, and is very productive resolving problems,” is how one put it, and there is hardly any disagreement from others.

Since the PPP regained elected office in August 2020, confidence in the agriculture sector was revived, and is growing after five years of neglect under the APNU+AFC regime. The PPP removed obstacles, and gave an assortment of incentives in the ‘agro’ sector to encourage food production. The public feels that since August 2020, there has been an enabling environment to attain food security and sector transformation, as well as sustainable use of natural resources. The ministry has been very supportive of small farmers. Farmers began record cultivation of rice and other crops. There were bountiful harvests at a time of food insecurity brought on by the pandemic.

Minister Mustapha soon became a popular figure in the farming community. Then the floods came. The government offered relief grants to farmers whose crops were destroyed by the May/June floods. Farmers were in dire need of financial assistance, and the government responded positively. People are very pleased with the relief assistance. Though limited and problematic in some areas, it was more than what they ever received under the preceding APNU+AFC-led regime.

Yours sincerely,
Ravi Singh

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