NAN-AE-2
Consumption
By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Ibadan, Dec.6, 2016 (NAN) Dr Babajide Adelekan, the Provost, Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Ibadan, has advised government, the private sector and stakeholders to ensure that the country satisfied local consumption first before exporting goods.
Adelekan made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ibadan.
He said local consumption in terms of production of food and raw materials for industries should be met before Nigeria could export to other countries.
He added that “when we export, we get more foreign exchange, we need to seek ways by which we can export more but there should be a balance between exportation and local consumption.
“The best thing and first thing we need to do is to satisfy local consumption; when we are satisfied with that, the excess can then be exported.
“If that is not done first, there is no point exporting because we may find ourselves trying to import again to satisfy local consumption that should have been done first.”
The provost noted that for the country to have food sufficiency, investment in agriculture must be sustained.
“Agriculture needs money by way of investment before it will now bring more profit; if we don’t invest adequately, we may not be able to reap abundantly.
“The government, private sector and individuals, need to invest in agricultural education, capital, etc.”
Adelekan said mechanised agriculture could produce enough content required for the population of the federation.
“So, we need money to purchase modern inputs, chemicals, fertilizers and even to train people on modern agriculture techniques.
“We need to have equipped agro-service centres in local government areas so that interested farmers can borrow and use on their farms.
“The Federal Government has decided to double the budget allocated for agriculture in 2017, so if that is done, agric sector will surely improve and that will also boost the economy,” he said.
The provost, who emphasised that food production should not only be the responsibility of government, urged organisations, the private sector and wealthy individuals to
join hands.
“When all hands are on deck, there will be positive result and the country will surely achieve its goal of diversifying and boosting the economy through agriculture,” he stressed. (NAN)
CC/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu