Minister urges state govts to emulate C’River agricultural revolution
Agriculture
By Christian Njoku
Calabar, March 21, 2020 (NAN) The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, has advised governors to emulate the agricultural revolution strides of Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River.
Nanono gave the advice during a South-South Agro-Industrial Town Hall meeting in Calabar on Saturday.
The minister said that until all the states start thinking of agriculture at the macro level, the nation would not be able to employ its unemployed youths.
He said agriculture was vast, complex and had the potential, saying that 65 per cent of the arable land in the world was in Africa.
He noted that upon proper investigation, it would be discovered that a large percentage of these lands were in Nigeria.
Nanono, however, noted that Nigeria with a population of about 200 million people, which might grow to over 400 million in the next few years, would not be able to feed itself, if it continued to practice agriculture with hoes and cutlasses.
“Yesterday, I was in Ogoja, I saw the vitaminised rice mill and the cocoa processing factory at Ikom, I didn’t know that Cross River was a key player in cocoa production.
“This is something we must support as a Federal Government because I believe this is the beginning of agricultural revolution in Nigeria.
“Also, the super highway project which is a signature project of the state government would be given attention because it is an important road that will link the North from the South, making it easy to move agricultural produce from the South to the North, instead of through Lagos,” the minister said.
In his remark, Gov. Ayade said that under his watch, the state had made huge investments in the agricultural sector which had witnessed the establishment of multifarious agro-allied industries.
Ayade said that it was his desire to make agriculture the mainstay of the state’s economy, rather than the dependence on federal allocations.
“We have in readiness for this Green Money (G-Money) Initiative, taken a radical approach to ensure the establishment of agro industries across the length and breadth of the state.
”This informs our investments in sesame seed, aquaculture, noodles factory and others.
“I challenge our youths and indeed all Cross Riverians to join us in this crusade and become green millionaires,” he said.
He commended the Federal Government’s initiative of placing a total ban on some food imports which had enhanced local production.
Ayade called on President Muhammadu Buhari to come to the aid of the state in the completion of agricultural projects for the benefit of the nation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the participants who made comments during the town hall meeting called on the governor to privatise the agro industries established in the state for optimum productivity.
The participants added that the state should start building the capacity of its youths to help in the production of necessary raw materials and machinery needed in the factories.
According to the participants, the continuous importation of the machinery needed in the factories does not enhance development. (NAN)
CBN/CCN/AJA
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Edited by Chinyere Nwachukwu/Adeleye Ajayi