Turning the paradox of an infantile agriculture sector to building a virile economy
The mere mention of food scarcity in Nigeria speaks much of a paradox. Deeper reflection would inundate critical thinking when thought is given to the volume of food importation into the Country, when rather she is at all advantage to be a leading giant in food production and exportation. The inability to transform the agricultural potentials of the Country into economic strength speaks to the depth of insensitivity to optimise resources to building a considerable virile economy. It is by all means difficult to contend that Nigeria does not have all it takes to develop a formidable economy with agriculture as a grounded pillar of impetus. However, it appears the years of neglect of the potentials and the sole concentration on oil proceeds have left the Country at a disadvantage where the threats of food insecurity is now staring at her.
It is deeply pathetic that when Nigeria ought to be a giant in export of food and agro-allied products, it has been reduced to a conspicuous importer of same, even as domestic food availability continues to shrink with scarcity and corresponding increasing inflation. The importation of food has no doubt continued to have its undesirable effects impacting the economy negatively. The trend which further deepens the Country’s reserves at a depleting end, speaks volume to the rising socio-economic deficiencies roving over the Country.
The significance for the Government to wake up to the task of addressing the increasing threats of food scarcity against food sufficiency has become a necessity. The consideration of agriculture constituting a strong base for foreign trade for the Country is a subject that has never been taken too seriously by successive administrations, while the enormous potentials continue to lie dormant. It is important to note that efforts towards same require strategic measures driven by cogent policies within rational architectures of complementary and timely provisions towards the desired goal of basing an economy on strong pillars of navigating impetus.
While the present Administration has continued to announce its disposition to diversifying the economy by turning to agriculture, it is apparent that the force of efforts channeled towards this direction are not strong enough to achieve the desired objectives. The prevailing situation of shortfalls in agricultural outputs appear to far outweigh the efforts of the Government. The matters then become deeply incommensurable when questions come to diversifying by exports. However, it appears there are certain policy directions which are good enough to form the foundation towards plausible results in the drive towards the broad objective of developing the agricultural sector to a height of virility as impetus to diversification of the economy.
Over the weekend, there had been a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and the Abia State Government, to rehabilitate the Ogwe Golden Chicken Farm Estate to engage over 3,000 young people in the State. This disclosure was made known by the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, NALDA, Prince Paul Ikonne, during the signing of the MoU at Government House, Umuahia, the Abia State capital. According to him, NALDA’s delegation was in the state to officially set on motion the formalisation process of rehabilitating the poultry farm estate, which the agency partners Abia State government to ensure unemployment reduction in the State as far as the MoU is concerned. It was gathered that the Ogwe Golden Chicken in Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State is a vital project that has been included in farm estate recovery as part of mandate given to the agency by thethe present Administration.
According to Ikonne, the over 300 acre Ogwe Golden Chicken Farm Estate will have processing and hatchery points, residential area, production area in terms of producing feeds, and packaging area. He was quoted: “The MoU for Ogwe Golden Chicken Farm Estate is simple, the Abia State Government has made the land available for the facility. The President has mandated us to develop it in order to engage youths from that community.
NALDA programmes are community-based and this one will engage youths in the entire poultry value chain. What this means is that Abia will be known for egg production and finished chicken products. It will also reduce unemployment, because by the time you take away 3,000 people from the job seeking environment you are automatically creating security, as an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”
Another recent locus classicus giving resemblance to this measure is the similar disclosure by the Federal Government in May that it had commenced the reactivation of its 700 hectares of land in Ogun for the establishment of an integrated farm estate in the State. It was also disclosed that a cassava processing plant would be established in the estate to boost the value chain and create jobs, as 200 persons were being trained in soil testing in the State.
According to Ikonne, who made the disclosure during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, in May, the Federal Government through NALDA would possibly acquire more land from Ogun State to establish farm estates in the three senatorial zones in the State. He was quoted: “Mr President has directed us to create employment and achieve food security through NALDA’s mandates, and we are running projects which Ogun State has been selected as one of the pilot states. The integrated farm estate is going to be sited in the three senatorial zones in the state, and it is a concept that takes in everything from production, processing, packaging and marketing. It will also have residential areas for farmers. Knowing that Ogun has the largest capacity in cassava production, our cassava packaging plant would be located in this state and NALDA would be the off-taker from the farmers. They would process it, package it accordingly and move it into the markets. So, putting this plant here in Ogun State would create more opportunities and also encourage the farmers to produce more.”
The need to expand such estates across the Country is essential. Putting virile security architecture to secure these estates is equally pertinent and would go far in boosting the confidence of agricultural investors to invest without fear of uncertainty and losses. It is therefore paramount for the Federal Government in collaboration with State Governments across the Federation, to further broaden the scheme with robust policy provisions in order to synchronise the idea into well defined initiative with architecture of sustenance. This is essential to give the idea a lively sense of operation that will survive the test of time and thus navigated along defined patterns in developing the sector unto the height of virility towards the status of food self-sufficiency for the Country. Nigeria is on the verge of suffering a societal blast from food insecurity. The need for the Government at all levels to drive a deliberate course to direct all actions (public and private) towards a rescue mission from these threats is paramount.
The rising fear for investment in planting on large scale has continued to broaden the perception of caution which has in recent times affected the productivity of the sector. Outputs of agricultural produce have in recent times suffered deep shrink. The steep has continued to brew the hiking of prices of food staples. The rise in the price of some food staples above 300 per cent on year-on-year comparative analytical basis are red signals reflecting shortfalls in the productivity of the sector. The strings of effects brewing from the shortfalls have been clustering with several socio-economic factors to render disturbances in the entire society. It is paramount for the Government to synchronise policies by navigating architectures which would beyond catering for the pressing prevailing domestic needs, propel growth to the height of a virile agriculture sector forming a strong base of impetus of driving a formidable economy.
