NAN-AE-9
Agribusiness
Abuja, Aug. 29, 2017 (NAN) Mr Adewale Ilesanmi, Chief Executive Officer, Agribusiness Systems and Technologies Ltd, has advised stakeholders from the Ministry of Agriculture in the states to see agriculture as a business that could generate revenue for the states.
Ilesanmi gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on a sideline of a workshop organised by Synergos Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.
He explained that states needed to think on how to generate more revenue outside the monthly federal allocation, by treating agriculture as a commercial enterprise.
According to him, the initiative is achievable now that the Federal Government is diversifying the country’s economy from oil due to the fall in oil at the international market.
“Participants at the workshop state actors from the Ministry of agriculture; they are people that really need to understand the agribusiness development and management.
“If the people to encourage this at the state level do not understand well the structures of agribusiness and the challenges, they will not be able to help investors.
“There should be well understanding of the opportunities in the value chain; through understanding that agribusiness is an opportunity. That is why we are giving them different areas in agribusiness to explore.
“In the marketing, we look at the nature of agricultural marketing, the challenges of marketing and value chain opportunity and how to get agribusiness opportunity in the commodity.
“Since agribusiness is a new trend, the private sector gets across to farmers through state ministry of agriculture.
‘’This is why we are training them to transmit the training to farmers in their various states,’’ he said.
Ilesanmi advised the participants to focus on crops they had comparative and competent advantage, to reduce the cost of production.
He also urged farmers to consider available market before going into production to avoid losses.
Ilesanmi called on the Federal Government to do more in terms of creating markets for farmers to sell their produce.
“There are key drivers of agribusiness development in the country that have good policy for agriculture. Government need to put money into such initiative to further develop and expand the sector.’’
NAN reports that Synergos Nigeria, a global non-profit organisation,has presence in Kogi, Benue and Kaduna states, with special intervention on rice and cassava production in the country.
The objective of the organisation is to reduce global poverty through partnership between government, business, civil society and local communities.
Its experts are charged with the responsibility of training stakeholders on agribusiness, marketing and opportunities available to achieve their aims and objectives. (NAN)
ROK/APA/COO/DUA
Edited by Cecilia Odey/Dada Ahmed