Post by Ismail AbdulAzeez on Apr 7, 2017 21:05:11 GMT 1
OONI OF IFE, OTHERS CALL FOR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS TOWARDS SUSTAINING AGRICULTURE
Stakeholders in the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy have called for renewed efforts towards sustaining agriculture in the country.
This call was made during the annual Mike Omotosho lecture which took place at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. The theme of the lecture was ``Increased Agricultural Productivity for Sustainable Economic Growth’’. The lecture brought together key players and stakeholders to discuss issues across the various value chains in the agriculture sector while also lending their voices to a new course of collaboration for growth and development in the country, through agriculture.
Among stakeholders who spoke at the event was the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, who noted that though Nigeria richly endowed, the resources have been under-utilized. He decried the fact that many Nigerians have ignored the potentials in agriculture, yet they blame the government for all and sundry.
``We put the entire blame on the government, but what are we doing? Let us stop deceiving ourselves, we have all we need, but how are we using it’’? He asked.
Lending credence to the Ooni’s position, the vice-president of the Nigerian Agric business Group (NABG) and chairman, best foods global limited, Emmanuel Ijewere highlighted post-harvest losses and logistics, and lack of innovation as challenges against agricultural productivity in Nigeria. He called for sensitization of farmers on preventing post-harvest losses as this would save about 70 percent of their produce from perishing.
Stakeholders also highlighted major problems mitigating against the growth of the sector as lack of accessibility of seedlings to farmers, failed policies, poor funding among others. They said the farmers were not consulted in the process of drafting programs and policies for the sector, hence serial poor implementation of such policies was inevitable.
Stakeholders in the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy have called for renewed efforts towards sustaining agriculture in the country.
This call was made during the annual Mike Omotosho lecture which took place at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. The theme of the lecture was ``Increased Agricultural Productivity for Sustainable Economic Growth’’. The lecture brought together key players and stakeholders to discuss issues across the various value chains in the agriculture sector while also lending their voices to a new course of collaboration for growth and development in the country, through agriculture.
Among stakeholders who spoke at the event was the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, who noted that though Nigeria richly endowed, the resources have been under-utilized. He decried the fact that many Nigerians have ignored the potentials in agriculture, yet they blame the government for all and sundry.
``We put the entire blame on the government, but what are we doing? Let us stop deceiving ourselves, we have all we need, but how are we using it’’? He asked.
Lending credence to the Ooni’s position, the vice-president of the Nigerian Agric business Group (NABG) and chairman, best foods global limited, Emmanuel Ijewere highlighted post-harvest losses and logistics, and lack of innovation as challenges against agricultural productivity in Nigeria. He called for sensitization of farmers on preventing post-harvest losses as this would save about 70 percent of their produce from perishing.
Stakeholders also highlighted major problems mitigating against the growth of the sector as lack of accessibility of seedlings to farmers, failed policies, poor funding among others. They said the farmers were not consulted in the process of drafting programs and policies for the sector, hence serial poor implementation of such policies was inevitable.
