Akinlabi Afolabi, Ibadan
Farmkonnect Agribusiness Nigeria Plc has announced that it will be inaugurating an Agricultural Electronic Centre in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
The founder and CEO of Farmkonnect Agribusiness, Mr Azeez Oluwole made this known at the weekend during a press briefing held at the premises of the Edifice located at the Basorun area of Ibadan.
Mr Oluwole disclosed that the agricultural electronic center was established following the path to change the digital data narrative of Africa’s agricultural system, adding that the centre aims to promote precision agriculture in Nigeria and Africa at large.
He said the project has two components: Farmkonnect Agricultural Electronic Extension Service Center (FAGEX) and Farmkonnect Institute For Data and Agribusiness Studies.
He further disclosed that this initiative’s goal is to provide input services to stakeholders in the agricultural value chain through information technology, training, research, and professional business consulting.
He said the initiative is an integral part of Farmkonnect’s mission to glamourise Africa’s agricultural practices and contribute to food security and nutrition through agricultural real estate of modern technologies and methodologies.
Explaining further, he said FAGEX was established to accelerate controlled environment farming practices in Africa, leveraging modern technologies such as satellite imagery and drones.
“This will enable farmers to monitor and review live feeds from all open farms and greenhouses anywhere in Africa; the other component FIDAS will help to enhance the use of smart processes, people and technologies for data and insight generation that help stakeholders make informed decisions towards responsible production and achieving food security in Africa by 2030 and beyond.
“The innovation by Farmkonnect will help change the way Agriculture is being practised in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, reduce wastage of agricultural produces which amounts to a big loss on the path of the farmer, and also make agriculture more attractive to the youths, hence providing gainful employment to a Large number of unemployed youth in the country.
“The integration of the project which is the first of its kind in Africa will ensure the integration of big data and cloud-based ecosystems that will connect various data points to stakeholders in any part of the Agricultural value chain and help them make informed decisions,” he said.
Oluwole promised that the technology would be available for commercial at an affordable rate as part of the company’s contribution to Agricultural development in the state and the country.