The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri,
Modern Farming, Key to Nigeria’s Food Sufficiency – Lokpobiri
Food
By Kudirat Musa
Abuja, July 18, 2018 (NAN) The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, says the only way Nigeria can attain self-sufficiency in food production is for the nation’s farmers to embrace modern farming.
Lokpobiri made this assertion in a statement signed by Mr George Oji, his Special Adviser on Media, in Abuja on Tuesday.
The minister regretted that gap in domestic food production have existed in Nigeria for many years because, the nation depended on rural farmers and their rural farming methods for its food needs.
Lokpobiri, however, expressed delight that recently the Federal Government has been embarking efforts to redress the situation through policies and infrastructural development of the rural communities.
According to him, the only way we can feed ourselves is for us to develop our capacity, embrace modern farming technology and techniques so that we will continue to enjoy high productivity, not the subsistent farming we are used to.
Lokpobiri also stressed the need for the development of the nation’s rural areas to stem urban migration, while receiving a delegation from the Africa-Asia Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) led by Secretary General of the Organisation, Mr Wassfi Hassan El Sreihinin, in his office.
He noted that if urban migration is halted, it would reduce poverty and crime, as well as limit the pressure on the amenities in the urban areas currently being experienced in the country.
”Nigeria is a country where we are basically being fed by the rural dwellers, if rural development is not given priority and already studies have shown that there is urban migration because of lack of development in the rural areas, the cities would soon be over crowded.
“Land to farm is in the rural areas and if those people in the rural areas are empowered through capacity building, technology transfer to be able to stay there and continue to cultivate in agriculture.
“The poverty would be reduced, there will be less crime, and there will be less pressure on the limited amenities that we find in the urban areas,’’ he said.
The minister added that the only difference between the agricultural system in Africa and those of the advanced economies of the world is the use and deployment of technologically advanced equipment by the later.
While comparing the climate between Nigeria and that of the Latin American countries, which he noted are basically the same, the minister regretted that because sometimes we don’t want to be relevant in techniques.
“The yield over there could be 20 tonnes while here it could be 2 tonnes. This is basically because of the way we plan and the way we manage our cropping system.”
Secretary General of AARDO, El Sreihinin, pledged his organisation’s commitment to collaborating with the nation’s rural farmers to grow the sector because of Nigeria’s strategic position in Africa and the West African region.
He said, “We assure you that we will offer our assistance to the country. This is my first official visit to Nigeria since I took over as the Sec Gen in 2011.
“As you know Nigeria is a very important country in this region and the world. We have been collaborating and enhancing the lives of the rural people of Nigeria, neighbouring countries and members of the organisation.
“Since 1999 when Nigeria became a member of the organisation, Nigeria has benefited from our technical work programme, including the human capacity building.
“AARDO offers many hundreds of training programmes and fellowships every year in different countries in Asia and Africa which officials from Nigeria benefits from.”
According to him, in 2007, we financed one project in Nigeria; in 2006, we signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Agriculture and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin.
“The MoU is for collaboration and assistance for international training programmes and I am here to revive the MoU for the benefit of our members,’’ he said. (NAN)
ROK/AFA
=======
Edited by Felix Ajide
