...Says Agriculture is second to none interms of jobs creation
By Niyi Ogungbola
Agriculture has been identified as the main sector capable of propelling Nigeria economy to the greater heights if harnessly embraced especially by the youths.
This was one of the key observations at the opening of a 3-day maiden Nigerian Agricultural Mechanization Exhibition Tagged (NAME 2022) organized by Hephzibah Extra and Broad River Limited,held at June 12 Cultural Center Kuto, Abeokuta,Ogun State.
The gathering which was the maiden convergence of Agricultural Mechanization Industrialists was a meeting point between stakeholders in the Agricultural sector, within the value chain, especially convened to address the gap in the value chain.
According to the Communique signed at the end of the first day by the Chairman Board of Directors of H B ,Mr. Oluwasegun Asiwaju, it was also a consensus of opinion at the workshop that,the Nigerian Agricultural Sector lacks appeals to the youth, because of the way it was structured.
It therefore canvassed the need to strengthen Agripreneur Initiative, which will encourage the youths to take interest in Agriculture through Mechanized practices
According to him, the gathering while seeking solutions to the agricultural challenges bedeviling the nation expressed concern on the need to find a way to implement agricultural mechanization at the local and grassroots level.
Participants at workshop with the "Theme Redefining Agricultural Mechanisation To Enhance Food Security And Boost Agriculture Business" believed that,agriculture is second to none in terms of job creation and value chain, saying, the agricultural potentials in the country is enough to propel the nation’s economy to greater heights.
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At the well attended event, pertticipants also believed that there was a need to connect all stakeholders in the Agricultural value chain, in order to strengthen the weak chains in the sector.
"For the country to be sustainable in food production, agricultural mechanization is in-evitable, it is an aberration that the nation’s import exceeds her export, because agricultural mechanization is not given a pride of place.
"Over 70 million available hectares of land for cultivation, less than 50% is cultivated due to low tractorisation as the country has just 10 tractors to 100 hectares of land. And, with about 7,000 available tractors to the demand level of over 1 million tractors.This shortage of tractor must also be addressed, to revive the agricultural sector" the gathering suggested.
According to the Communique,the gathering also observed that majority of farmers do not benefit from the incentives provided by the government, lamenting that only about 1 % of the farming population in this part of the country have access to government facilities to boost farming, saying this lapses must be addressed to move agriculture forward in Nigeria.
"Also the issue of Agricultural funding was seriously delved into, while the gathering called on the stakeholders to walk the talk and resolve to ensure that the event is not just another talk shop or a mere showcase of agricultural equipments
"It was also observed that irrigation technology, which would have made a lot of difference has been neglected.
"The issue of insecurity which has become an hydra headed problem in the Nigerian setting also came up at the event, observing that it has affected food security adversely, while urging the government to address insecurity on all fronts"the Communique further stressed.
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