NAN-AE-7
Agriculture
Ozoro (Delta), Aug. 1, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Job Akpodiete, the Rector of Delta Polytechnic, Ozoro, on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to develop and utilise agriculture to increase the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He made the appeal when members of the Warri Correspondents Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid a courtesy call on him in Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta.
Akpodiete, who is an animal nutritionist, recalled that agriculture was the mainstay of the nation’s economy prior to the discovery of petroleum, saying that government should invest in agriculture to revamp it and sustain its development.
“Experience outside the country has shown that for any development to be sustainable, the agricultural sector must be developed
“For us to make agriculture the mainstay of our economy again, the government should provide the enabling facilities, while demonstrating its willpower to develop the agriculture sector.
“World Bank loans can be sourced for agricultural institutions to enable them to carry out their mandates. Agriculture is not what you just venture into; it requires proper understanding, stocktaking and resources,’’ he said.
Besides, Akpodiete said that Delta Polytechnic had ventured into agricultural production by acquiring five hectares of land to cultivate cassava, maize and other crops.
“We are not just thinking of planting and harvesting, we are also thinking of a value-added chain to ensure that more people — staff and students — are engaged in the project,’’ he said.
He said that the polytechnic had established a bakery which used cassava flour to bake bread, adding that the institution was trying to improve on the nutritional content of the bread.
“We have engaged a food technologist to interact with our staff and students on how to improve on the nutritional content of our bread, using edible worms.
“The fats in the edible worms are unsaturated and low in cholesterol.
“So, utilising the fats from the worms for making bread will improve the nutritional content of the bread, while reducing the presence of cholesterol that could be passed to the consumers,” he said.
Akpodiete also said that the institution was striving to provide entrepreneurial skills for the students so as to enable them to be self-reliant after their graduation.
“They could also engage others in their enterprises, thereby reducing youth restiveness in the area and boosting the nation’s economy,’’ he said. (NAN)
EDI/AOS/OOK
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Edited by Bayo Sekoni and Dayo Komolafe
Rector urges FG to use agriculture to boost Nigeria’s GDP
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