(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Former-Preident_Obasanjo-300x240.jpg) "The emergence of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina as Nigeria's Agriculture Minister at this point in our development must be seen as a blessing to the nation. Never have we had such a round peg in a round hole to man the agricultural development in the most populous nation on earth".
The former President of Nigeria and a foremost farmer, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo made this declaration at Ilorin, Kwara State capital, while delivering the 16th annual lecture of the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI).
In his lecture titled, "Managing Agriculture as a Business: A Practitioner's Perspective", he said Dr. Adesina's new agric-business vision "Hinged on developing a shared agenda for action and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to achieve sustainable agricultural growth through market-based solutions was the only way this nation can feed itself".
Obasanjo attributed the slow growth witnessed in the agric sector to challenges which were political in nature. These, he said, include violent conflict and political instability, poor leadership and global trade imbalance. He also listed, weak financial markets and rural finance institutions and poor business decision-making as contributors to poor agricultural business management and growth. He also identified lack of continuity in agric policy as perhaps the greatest bane of the sector.
He said, while Africa could boast of huge human capital engagement in agriculture, most farmers engage only in subsistence farming and therefore lack the required business skills for managing farms as a business. He opined that for African countries like Nigeria to reap from the fruits of their labour, agri-business must adopt effective response mechanisms to the management challenges. This, he said requires a well-designed programme for reorientation of farmers and equipping them with the capacity required to run agriculture as a business.
The former President believed that a core component of result-oriented management of agribusiness is the continuous acquisition of new technology knowledge and information. To function effectively, he said, "Agribusiness owners must be all-round entrepreneurs and well versed in technical, legal and financial-economic matters." He re-emphasized the need to significantly invest in training, skills development, personal empowerment and entrepreneurship while reiterating that entrepreneurship education is strategic to success in agribusiness.
He warned that the development of agriculture in Nigeria and its ability to become the lifeline of the economy are threatened by the "Low capacity of agribusiness practitioners to manage their enterprises on a sustainable basis due to lack of skill, inadequate government support and reckless importation into Nigeria. The former President noted that progress could only be made in food security in Nigeria if banks lend to farmers in not more than a single digit interest rate.
Speaking earlier, the Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said the Federal Government is determined to make Nigeria a global actor in the agric market and that explained the decision of the government to start treating agriculture as business and take value approach to production such as rice, cassava, sorghum, soybean among others in National interest.
He commended President Obasanjo for his pioneering leadership in Agriculture and his administration's support for cassava production which he said, has contributed to making Nigeria the largest producer of cassava in the world. The government, according to him is resolved to make the country the largest processor of cassava in the world also.
Adesina disclosed that Obasanjo's administration started the issue of cassava inclusion in bread which has been taken by the present administration to a commercial level. He disabused the mind of Nigerians of the political undertone in the government's decision to include cassava flour in bread, adding that, "The issue of cassava bread is not a political decision but rather an economic decision which will put N127 billion in the hands of our farmers".
In his opening remarks, the Acting Director of ARMTI, Mr. Samuel Afolayan said the annual lecture is a programme that officially kicks off the training year in the institute and to also contribute as a management development institute to the policy development and enhance better management of the agricultural and rural sector in Nigeria.
ARMTI which was conceived by the Obasanjo's administration according to Afolayan, is an institute that gathers policy makers, practitioners, academics and key stakeholders together to address identified topical issues in the Agric Sector.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria