Mechanised farming is panacea to food security – Don
NAN-AE-1
Food
By Ajibola Olaniyi
Osogbo, Oct. 26, 2016 (NAN) Dr Biodun Ogunwale of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has said that mechanised farming will guide against food insecurity in Nigeria.
Ogunwale made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo on Wednesday.
He explained that it was dangerous for the
country to operate on a mono-culture economy with arable land all over Nigeria, while calling for aggressive mechanised farming system.
According to him, Nigeria can easily survive and take good care of its citizens without oil.
He expressed disappointment in the way agriculture was neglected at the point oil was discovered in the country.
“I think Nigeria started to miss the road at the time oil was discovered in the late 50s and the resultant affluence all over the nation.
“The political leaders at that time failed to see beyond their present moment and prepare for a viable alternative in line with our economic cost advantage.
“It is obvious that agriculture used to be our mainstay of economy and the largest employer of labour in the past, why the abandonment then,’’ he queried.
He enjoined the Ministry of Agriculture to be resilient in turning around the sector in calling for more government intervention.
Ogunwale stressed that robust mechanised farming system will not only guarantee food security but reduce the menace of unemployment in the country.
He also implored graduates to take to farming and stop searching for elusive white collar jobs. (NAN)
DOO/OFN