NAN-AE-2
Agriculture
By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Ibadan, Dec.20, 2016 (NAN) Prof. Lateef Taiwo, a Soil Scientist with the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IART) Ibadan, has advocated for valued added agricultural produce for export to earn Nigeria more foreign exchange.
Taiwo who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Tuesday, such move create more employment opportunities, boost the economy and reduce poverty rate in the country.
“Value addition to any of our farm produce will create jobs through the value chains, industries involved in the value chain upgrade process will need various hands to operate the machines.
“More raw materials will be needed to feed the industries and consequently, expansion of production farm fields.
‘’There will be need to expand the market outlets, more people will be involved.
“Semi-finished or finished products will be pushed to local, regional and international markets,” he said.
He, however, urged government to provide farmers with some infrastructure such as good roads, electricity and storage facilities to boost their productivity.
Taiwo also urged government to fund research institutions so that modern farming technologies and extension services could be disseminated to the rural farmers.
Also speaking with NAN, Dr Idris Badiru, a lecturer, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, also said that exporting agricultural produce would bring a lot of profits to farmers.
He said: “When we export, farmers get competitive prices for their produce and are thus encouraged to grow more.
‘’Scarcity faced at home will make the idea of going into agriculture more attractive to youths.
“Hence, production will increase and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) enhanced while unemployment becomes reduced.
Badiru emphasised that the surge in exportation of valued added agricultural produce would give rise to development of other mass of economic activities along the value chain.
The don, however, called for sufficient credit facilities to farmers to improve the country’s agricultural sector and boost economy.
“Extension services should be strengthened by recruiting more personnel and providing necessary development communication support to get research outputs to farmers and convey farmers’ needs to researchers.
“We should also use every possible means to make agriculture attractive to the youth.” (NAN)
CC/DUA
Edited by Dada Ahmed
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