Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono has said that the Federal Government is deploying necessary economic resources towards achieving full commercialization process of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
The minister said towards realizing this objective, government is working out series of measures including rationalization of the nation’s research institutes for provision of improved seed as well as technical advice and inputs.
Nanono speaking recently during an online media interactive program monitored in Lagos added that the government’s plan includes training of about 200,000 extension agents and converting the N130,000 Empower funds in facilitating the mechanization process of the country’s agriculture.
The Minister who noted that 70 % of Nigeria’ agriculture had been at subsistence level over decades added that the country had gotten to a point where commercialization of its agriculture is a must and government was poised to achieving this through deploying private sector initiative.
He disclosed that the Nigerian government had received warning signals of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) since three months for likelihood of locust invasion in parts of the country adding that government had taken steps to mitigate impact of locust invasion including among other things, the launch recently of aerial spray mechanism in Kebbi state alongside twelve potential front line states for the invasion.
“ I think there are about 12 states that are likely to be affected by this locust invasion. So we are pretty much aware and we have taking steps to ensure that we minimize the effect of this, if not totally eliminate the effect of these locusts”
“I think the first thing to note is that 70% of agriculture in this country is subsistence and this subsistence farming has been sustained in this country over decades and still very strong and still contributes probably about 24 to 25 percent of the GDP. That should be understood clearly, but I think Nigeria has now arrived to the point where commercialization in agriculture is a must, and I am happy to note that over the years, or at least over the last 10-15 years, a lot of agriculture commercialization has taken place in this country, and the government is creating enabling condition for agriculture commercialization to take place”
“For example, we are committed to now agricultural mechanization in this country, we are poised to rationalize our Research Institutes to give us better seeds and better advice. We are going to train probably extension agents in the region of 200,000, now the N130,000 Empower we are converting them into extension agents. So I think it’s a step forward and more importantly the private sector initiative in this regard is very very important and I think from big Industries to smaller Industries, a lot is happening in terms commercialization of the agricultural sector, but the key to the commercializing agriculture in this country is mechanization and that is what we are embarking on now”
Commenting on the latest price increases of agricultural food commodities in local markets, the minister observed that the trend was a temporary development that will soon come to pass noting that the trend arose due to a number of causes including panic buying as a result of Covid 19 pandemic and hoarding by desperate product dealers.
He added that farmers were cautious at bringing supplies to market owing to the rainy season and accordingly product prices would normalize as soon as farmers release products surpluses to the market.
