Time to Revive Marketing Boards for Economic Development in Nigeria

Ganiyu Obaaro

For decades, the Nigerian marketing/ commodity boards have been in limbo. Faced with a plethora of challenges, this hitherto critical agricultural institution had been weighed down by several challenges.

These challenges had continued to make it impossible for it to effectively play its onerous roles in revenue generation, commodity price stabilisation research/development, employment generation and, above all, as a respected player in the highly competitive international market.

Today, the boards are lying prostate; and neglected by the government that ought to promote it.

The cause of the death of this agricultural institution can easily be traced. Following the emergence of crude oil as Nigeria’s main export earner from the early 1970s, government, and, indeed, global attention was shifted to the sector.

Today, Nigeria’s overdependence on crude oil from the Niger Delta mangroves, to finance its annual budgets, has since caught global attention and businesses. No doubt, these developments had yielded us economic development in all parameters, including housing, roads and health.

For example, the country continued to rake in billions of petrodollars from the sector at the detriment of agriculture.

But, despite these fortunes gained, the nation continued to wobble on its feet due to policy summersault, corruption, among other factors. Faced with food scarcity/ rising prices, hyper-inflation and crippling poverty by its over 200 million people, Nigeria’s is now in a desperate situation to make things work better.

Guided by the fact that you cannot continue to the same thing and expect different results, the new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said it would restore the boards to its former glory.

In retrospect, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy during the pre-colonial times and up to the mid-70s when oil crept into the nation’s economy and became dominant. Then, the Nigerian peasant farmers had produced foods on a massive scale, fed their families and the nation; and even engaged in local and export earnings.

The farmers operated across the regions then and later in the states, with minimum challenges, including poor roads and use of local farming tools, like hoes and cutlasses.

Today, we are all witnesses to the decay in the system that has brought us down to our kneels. We are simply humbled! This has been worsened by unending banditry, kidnapping activities; corruption and killing of farmers and other innocent citizens.

Marketing Boards were the offshoot of colonial rule. Following the end of World War 11 in 1945, the British colonialists introduced a new economic agenda for its colonies across the world.

The aim of the policy was to revive these battered economies, and link them directly with its own economy.

One of the institutions they created for that purpose, but which later became exploitative for the colonies, was the produce Marketing Board.

These boards were; Cocoa marketing boards, Cocoa, created in 1947, Groundnut marketing board and oil palm marketing board, both created in 1949.

Apart from serving the overall interest of the British, they also served the interests of the governments of Western, Northern and Eastern regions. All these governments depended on the revenues accrued therefrom for managing their regions.

For Britain, the proceeds of the boards were largely used to promote their metropolitan interest as industries in their domain grew, and the final products, including canned products, cakes and others, were shipped to Nigeria for sale at exorbitant prices.

Indeed, the functions of these commodity boards were many and varied. But, suffice it to mention just a few: they included, regulating/setting agricultural produce/ commodity in their regions. For example, in the Western Region, managed by the Action Group, Chief Obafemi Awolowo depended on revenue from this sector to manage his government.

Other regions like Northern and Eastern regions, managed Groundnut/cotton and palm produce, respectively. Hence, the boards served largely, the British and the regional government. These apart, the boards also served in advisory/promotional category, and had full control over output by the farmers.

They existed until the creation of commodity boards in the 70s, to serve the emerging states, created by successive military government of retired general Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Muhammed Olusegun Obasanjo. They were also embraced by the civilian government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, 1979-1983, until he was ousted by the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari, who was the Head of state till 1984, when General Ibrahim Babangida, retd, removed him in another coup d’etat.

In spite of tinkering with the agricultural system, such as the creation of irrigation facilities/earth dams to foster greater output, the sector still rapidly went downhill. The creation of River Basin Authorities and other institutions did not practically increase for domestic consumption or for export.

These commodity boards allegedly became harbingers of corruption, water and sleaze. The boards now merely exist in name, as silos, roads, research, marketing, exports, revenue that ought to characterise them are mere administrative thoughts.

Over the last 24 years of civilian governments, nothing substantial had come out of the sector. The decision to revive marketing/commodity boards by Tinubu is no doubt a welcome development. This is because, farmers can, once again, smile to the banks with beautiful harvests and profits

They would now sell their products, managed by the boards, at competitive prices, while the government would make more revenue in the process, since they superintend over them. They would also be saved from the challenges of price fluctuations, while silos, roads and modern tools would be built/ provided for them to enhance their marketing needs.

However, in this modern age, digitalization must be embraced by operators in the sector. Both commercial operators and small businesses must embrace new training and ideas in agricultural development, as they key into various available opportunities globally.

These opportunities include the ECOWAS market and others. There must also be a robust relationship between the farmers, commodity boards and financial institutions. Today, food is scarce, while prices of commodities are sky-bound. Again, insecurity has continued to threaten farmers across the country.

Reports say that under the outgone Buhari’s government, well over to 22,000 Nigerians, including farmers were killed, while no fewer than 555 Nigerians have suffered the same fate under the less than two months’ old government of Tinubu.

These are as scary as they had sent wrong signals to the world about the nation’s insecurity. All these, experts say, could drive away investors from investing in the already collapsed economy and possibly revive it.

However, there are viable options that could be explored. The banks, for example, are expected to provide the farmers soft loans, with easy repayment periods in line with the ongoing ease of doing business in the country.

Only when these steps and others are taken then can we realise the full potential in the sector and galvanise the economy. But time is running fast on the country.