Association calls for adequate funding of agric. research institutes

Institutes
By Tukur Muntari
Kano, July 2, 2018 (NAN) Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigeria (ADAN) has urged Federal Government to ensure adequate funding of agriculture research institutes to boost food production in the country.

The Chairperson of the association, Prof. Folusho David-Abraham, made the call at a news conference
in Kano on Monday as part of activities toward the 62nd Annual Conference of ADAN.

Deans of agriculture from various universities in the country are expected to participate in the conference scheduled to hold at the Faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University Kano.

David-Abraham said there was need for Federal Government to allocate more funds to research institutes to enable them to discharge their duties effectively.

She said “Federal Government should do more on funding of research institutions because they need more funding to carry out research on various aspects of agriculture for the development of the sector.”

The chairperson also urged the Federal Government to ensure early supply and distribution of fertilizer and other inputs to farmers to enable them to access the commodity on time.

“The Federal Government is trying in the area of fertilizer but farmers still have problem in accessing the commodity,” David-Abraham added.

She then advised government to involve grassroots stakeholders in policy formulation to enable them to contribute their quota to the development of the state’s agriculture sector.

On the ADAN conference, David-Abraham said it was to discuss issues that relate to agriculture in Nigeria, especially food security.

According to her, the conference is also aimed at looking at areas of improving the sector, as well as encourage local investors to look toward investing in the sector.

The conference, to start on Tuesday, has “Stimulating Local Agricultural Production Towards Food Security in Nigeria” as its theme. (NAN)
MTM/HA
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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu