A don, Dr. Fayeye Rotimi, has canvassed the implementation of a pension scheme for farmers to enable them to enjoy their retirement.

Rotimi, who is of the Department Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, said, this will enable them to receive  monthly stipends. 

Many years ago, he said farming  was largely peasantry and planning for retirement for farmers was not easy. "You kept farming until you dropped dead,” he added.  

Today, the quest for children's education and the desire to meet other basic family budgetary needs after their forced or voluntary retirement from the farm have become major concern to farmers. Some developed economies in Europe have long appreciated this need and have developed their farm retirement schemes.

According to him, the farmers pension scheme is aimed at stimulating productivity in the farming sector, adding that it is being implemented in countries such as Tanzania and Ghana. "The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in 2011 decided on the first-ever Pension Scheme for its 800,000 cocoa farmers to ensure that they do not suffer when they retire. 

The project, was a collaborative effort between COCOBOD and its consultants with input from the farmers. The aim of the project was to improve the plight of cocoa farmers and as well contribute to the development of the country.” 

 Under the project, he said the government and the board would make contributions on behalf of the qualified farmers. Tanzania, he explained, bought the idea of a pension scheme for farmers with 150 cashew nuts growers in Tandahimba District, Mtwara Region.  

Farmers joined the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) only last year. This was because since 2004 when Nigeria started the contributory pension scheme for workers in the public and private sector , farmers  were excluded. He added that this was not fair for a group, which makes the second largest contribution to the National Gross Domestic Product GDP). 

Urging the government to borrow a leave from other African countries, Rotimi said the farmer's pension scheme is part of national programmes  in Europe  and Asia to stimulate productivity in the sector. 

 "In Ireland for instance, the early farm retirement scheme is a scheme co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the National Exchequer to encourage farmers aged between 55 and 66 to retire from farming and transfer/lease their land to a younger farmer after meeting certain conditions. 

Prof. Abel Ogunwale, a lecturer in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, supports the idea. He said farmers deserve a good pension scheme like farmers, especially a formal pension scheme.

He called for the government subsidised contributions to the pension plan to make it attractive to farmers.