Post by Trade facilitator on Nov 19, 2017 13:46:49 GMT 1
All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has declared that Africa can produce food to feed the whole world if agricultural sector is mechanized in the continent.
The Association stated that despite the efforts of the farmers across the continent, there was still insufficiency of farm produce as well as food insecurity, saying that this was caused by the insensitivity of the government to the sector.
Speaking at the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Journalist (NAAJ) Conference and Award ceremony, the Chairman, AFAN, Lagos State Chapter, Femi Oke said the challenges facing agricultural sector in the whole of African continent was due to corruption that had eaten deep into the governance.
According to Oke, Africa is still far behind the rest of the world in the area of agriculture development.
This, he maintained, could be improved upon if the government commit resources to the development of agricultural sector by providing the necessary infrastructure and conducive environment for the farmers.
Specifically speaking about state of agriculture in Nigeria, the AFAN chairman declared that the country has not made any significant progress in the sector, although he noted that the former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina made a giant contribution to the development of the sector through his various policies.
He disclosed that there were still many potentials in the sector which have not been harnessed.
For instance, Oke said that the lands that were supposed to be acquired for agricultural purpose by the government were been occupied by churches and mosques. He explained that the government could acquire more lands in various locations to be developed for agricultural activities. He added that the government could equally procure equipment for the farmers in those locations to boost their productivities.
However, the farmers’ leader believed that the private farmers were in the position to bail out government, noting that the government could not do the business on its own due to the challenge of corruption.
The Association stated that despite the efforts of the farmers across the continent, there was still insufficiency of farm produce as well as food insecurity, saying that this was caused by the insensitivity of the government to the sector.
Speaking at the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Journalist (NAAJ) Conference and Award ceremony, the Chairman, AFAN, Lagos State Chapter, Femi Oke said the challenges facing agricultural sector in the whole of African continent was due to corruption that had eaten deep into the governance.
According to Oke, Africa is still far behind the rest of the world in the area of agriculture development.
This, he maintained, could be improved upon if the government commit resources to the development of agricultural sector by providing the necessary infrastructure and conducive environment for the farmers.
Specifically speaking about state of agriculture in Nigeria, the AFAN chairman declared that the country has not made any significant progress in the sector, although he noted that the former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina made a giant contribution to the development of the sector through his various policies.
He disclosed that there were still many potentials in the sector which have not been harnessed.
For instance, Oke said that the lands that were supposed to be acquired for agricultural purpose by the government were been occupied by churches and mosques. He explained that the government could acquire more lands in various locations to be developed for agricultural activities. He added that the government could equally procure equipment for the farmers in those locations to boost their productivities.
However, the farmers’ leader believed that the private farmers were in the position to bail out government, noting that the government could not do the business on its own due to the challenge of corruption.
