Ogun State - Amosun Proffers Solution to Agricultural Challenges, Unemployment

[OgunState]

 If farming is to be made attractive to Nigerian youths and the challenge of unemployment solved, universities and research institutions across the country need to continue releasing higher yielding seeds they generate to the three tiers of government.

Aside this, they must also map out new approaches of creating synergy between stakeholders in the agricultural sector to ensure successful transfer of modern farming techniques developed to maximize production along the value chain.

Ogun state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun came up with this submission in Abeokuta at the 4-Day Agricultural Fair tagged “Agriculture and the Future of Nigeria” to mark the silver jubilee of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB).

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Engr. Lanre Bisiriyu, the Governor disclosed that only an effective collaboration between research institutes, governments and farmers would ensure self-sufficiency in food production and industrialization as well as a tool to battle unemployment.

“Let us say for example, the University of Agriculture Abeokuta collaborates with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) or say, the Cereal Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) to develop a more yielding crop, FUNAAB could organize a workshop for agriculture extension workers who will then go round our local communities to introduce and train local farmers on how and when to plant their new crop. By doing this, we will make agriculture fascinating to the youths and they will be encouraged to take up farming. This will also help in solving the challenge posed by unemployment” Amosun stated.

The Governor added that as part of the present administration’s programme to enhance food production, it had among other things, held a sensitization meeting on the implementation of the Rice Policy and Investment Strategy, secured loan facility worth one billion naira under the CBN Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CASC) for the use of farmers and procured farm equipment and implement worth N.5billion.

He highlighted other initiatives designed to ensure sustainable development in the agricultural sector to include the resuscitation of the farm settlement scheme, rehabilitation of government-owned fish farms in the three senatorial districts and rehabilitation of the State’s central feed depot to stabilize the cost in the market.

Senator Amosun expressed hope that these initiatives would make farming attractive to youths, reduce rural-urban migration and replace the ageing farming population.

In his address, FUNAAB’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole disclosed that the fair was an opportunity for governments, industries and research institutes to collaborate with the institution in funding quality research and scaling up outcomes.

He added that if the dynamics of collaborative research built on sound revolving techniques and best practices were harnessed, the challenges of flood, land degradation, drought, desertification and other problems that constrained livelihood, disturb poverty alleviation initiatives and capacity of government to meet its development goals would be addressed.

The University Don called on stakeholders in the sector to modernize approaches to agricultural development by adopting developmental strategies such as automated precision agricultural system, effective spatial decision- supported farming and precise farm management techniques among others.

Via: Ogun State Government - Official Press Release