NAN-AE-6
Agriculture
By Yinusa Ishola
Omu-Aran (Kwara) May 19, 2017 (NAN) A community leader in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, Chief Festus Awoniyi, has urged governments to increase funding for agriculture and make it more attractive to youths.
Awoniyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Omu-Aran on Friday that government at all levels should boost mechanised agriculture.
He said such intervention would assist to secure the nation’s growth and economic diversification.
Awoniyi said youths had formidable roles to play in the government’s efforts to diversify the economy from oil to agriculture.
He said that transforming agriculture required collective responsibility of all stakeholders to achieve the desired results.
Awoniyi stressed the need for re-ordering of priorities by the federal, state and local governments to adequately tackle the nation’s food insufficiency.
He suggested a well coordinated national policy on agriculture to be embraced by all tiers government to develop the sector.
“A situation where not a single council out of 16 in Kwara state could boast of a tractor to develop agriculture at the grassroots is not good.
“This does not show the seriousness of government in that regard”, Awoniyi said.
He said the problem was more compounded as most youth empowerment initiatives were concentrated on distribution of motorcycles, grinding machines, with less regard for agriculture at the grassroots.
Awoniyi identified lack of continuity in government’s policies as a major factor hindering successful implementation of past laudable agriculture initiatives.
He mentioned the Agriculture Transformation Agenda initiative of the past administration aimed at registering 20 million farmers nationwide as deserving replication by states and local government areas.
“There is need for state ministries of agriculture to work in tandem with their federal counterparts in the areas of research, documentation and development”, Awoniyi said. (NAN)
ISHO/ORO/IEA
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Edited by Razak Owolabi/Idahosa Asowata