Agricultural expert advocates increased assistance to farmers

Farmers
By Edeki Igafe
Warri (Delta), July 12, 2018 (NAN) An agricultural expert, Mr Darlington Akpofure, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to increase assistance to farmers with the necessary farming incentives to boost food production in the country.
Akpofure, a fish farmer, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Warri, Delta.
He said that the country had vast arable land and abundant human and material resources to produce enough food for consumption and exportation, but lacked viable policies in the agricultural sub-sector.
Akpofure noted that with improved agricultural policy, more people would be attracted to farming and unemployment would reduce.
According to him, government should encourage those into mechanised and subsistence farming with tools to enhance food sufficiency.
“We have the land to produce enough food for local consumption and for export.
“Aside consumption, it will help to boost our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as create jobs and increase the country foreign exchange.
“All we need is for the government to formulate the right policies, including easy access to loan facilities in the agricultural sub-sector,” he said.
Akpofure said that the country would be better recognised in the comity of nations when it manufactures own goods than relying on importation.
“Production brings about creativity; and if we begin to be productive, we will start creating jobs for our people.
“ Nigeria cannot grow economically as a consuming nation. We need to refocus on agriculture to become a producing nation.”(NAN)
EDI/FLP/DUA
Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Dada Ahmed