President Bola Tinubu is expected to lead some state Governors to this year’s National Agriculture Show where Nigerian farmers will display agricultural technologies and their produce.
The agric show which will be held in Nasarawa State is also expected to attract agricultural researchers, and stakeholders to discuss way forward on the sector
Addressing journalists ahead of the event, the Chairman Board of Trustees of National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN), Architect Kabir Ibrahim said the annual Agriculture Show will avail farmers the opportunity to learn new things.
Ibrahim who is also the National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), said President Tinubu is expected to declare the Agriculture Open.
He said, “We are almost ready for the show and as we know, there are only a few commercial farmers, the majority of foods we consume are produced by smallholder farmers and they need all the encouragement they can get at this time when everyone is grappling with food insufficiency.
“Food insufficiency in this sense means that people cannot readily afford food due to the purchasing power of the naira and other factors.
“We need to start producing for more than the 200 million population, at this stage, we should be producing food for 300 million people. The problem is this, food sufficiency is making the right kind of food available to everyone.
“To address this, we need to start producing food at a regional level. We need to look at the region and know what food is needed in that area and optimise the production of that food. That is the only way we can achieve food sufficiency.
“Also the idea of selling what we produce in their raw form will not take us anywhere. We must be able to process the foods and add value to them. We must be able to transport our farm produce seamlessly, we must be able to store what we produce and cut down on post-harvest losses.”
Speaking on agriculture development in Nigeria, Ibrahim urged farmers to embrace the use of biotechnology, mechanisation as well other innovations in the agricultural sector to boost food production in the country.
He said there is a need for Nigerian farmers to shore up food production to meet the demand of the nation’s rising population which is estimated by the United Nations to reach as high as 377 million by 2050.
“Food sufficiency is possible in Nigeria when we embrace some form of biotechnology, mechanisation, and use science technology innovation.
“There are many misconceptions about genetically modified organisms (GMO) and I understand that there is no connection between GMOs and any disease. And I tell farmers that the best way out of poverty is through GMOs. Where a parcel of land produces 1 ton per hectare with biotechnology, you can produce up to 18 tons.
“If biotechnology is embraced by farmers, it will improve production optimally. Agriculture business is a private sector, the government is only expected to provide an enabling environment for them to thrive,” he said.
While stressing the need for government to address the lingering security challenges in the country, Ibrahim said food security cannot be achieved while farmers have abandoned their farms.
. TheWitness
