The long run of Nigeria’s agriculture sector will depend on its willingness to maintain innovation, analysis and push for related prospects.
The Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who acknowledged this whereas delivering the twelfth Convocation Lecture of the Michael Okpara College of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, titled: “Agriculture and Nationwide Growth In a Diversified Economic system: A Imaginative and prescient Of Renewed Hope By City And Robe Entrepreneurial Partnership,” mentioned it’s only the nation that achieves success in agriculture that may almost definitely fast-track its nationwide improvement.
Within the lecture learn on his behalf by the Imo State Commissioner for Greater Schooling, Professor Peter Nwachukwu, Uzodimma endorsed, as applicable, the necessity to talk about agriculture and nationwide improvement at a college of Agriculture like MOUAU.
He mentioned the lecture matter supplied enablement to interrogate how far and the way properly the college has stored religion with its mandate as a devoted and purpose-built college of Agriculture.
He mentioned that Nigeria, with a geographical landmass of 923.768 kilometers and ranked the most important nation in Africa for agricultural actions, has turn out to be essential to encourage Nigeria’s agricultural sector by means of adequate budgetary allocations and environment friendly utilisation of allotted assets to ensure poverty discount, sustainable livelihood and enhanced meals safety.
Whereas noting that agriculture nonetheless contributes to Nigeria’s Gross Home Product, he mentioned deliberate effort is required to make sure that it contributes greater than it presently does.
In response to the Governor, agriculture can and ought to be a key a part of diversifying the economic system and achievable by means of properly articulated and punctiliously applied insurance policies that would come with quick, medium and long-term targets, not like earlier half-hearted makes an attempt.
Itemizing some challenges, which he mentioned are past management, as local weather change, conflicts and insecurity that make it troublesome and harmful for farmers to even work of their lands, Uzodimma mentioned as gloomy as this state of affairs is, Nigerians shouldn’t be daunted.
