The minister of agriculture and rural
development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has
boasted that the agricultural sector would
topple the nation’s oil sector in no distant
time.
According to him, this is feasible because
the Agricultural Transformation Agenda
(ATA) which is a brainchild of President
Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation
Agenda, is geared towards ushering in
agricultural sector-led economic growth.
Speaking on the AGRIFEST 2015, an
international Agriculture Exhibition
organised by his ministry to aid the
sector in achieving green revolution,
Adesina said that as the price of crude oil
plummets, he is convinced that
agriculture will be the new mainstay of
the nation’s economy.
The minister reeled out the achievements
of his ministry to include the recent
disbursement of N122million grant to 27
Nagropreneurs across the six geo-political
zones as a measure of boosting
agricultural production and also
promoting its newly established project,
the Youth Employment in Agriculture
Programme (YEAP).
Noting that Nigeria’s greater future for
inclusive growth lies in agriculture, he
said food production had risen massively
and as a nation, Nigeria has produced
additional 21 metric tons of food within
the last three years.
Adesina listed other milestones of the
ministry under him to include the
establishment of Marketing Corporation,
nationwide census of farmers and supply
of subsidised fertilisers to 14million
farmers.
Explaining that the elaborate event is
aimed at creating a distinct platform that
will further boost the country’s
agriculture, he added that it will also keep
Nigerians abreast of the latest evolution
in technologies and food production.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan
commended the minister at the event,
saying agriculture is now the lifeline for
Nigeria.
He said, “As crude oil prices decline, we
must create new wealth from the richness
of our soils, the vastness of our rivers
and the abundance of our cheap labour.
We will produce more, and we will
industrialise the agricultural sector.
“When I appointed Dr Akinwumi Adesina
as the minister of agriculture, I charged
him to turn agriculture around. My vision
was clear – turn agriculture away from
being a sector for managing poverty to
one for creating wealth. We now see
agriculture as a business, not as a
development programme”.
Noting that the rice revolution is taking
place across the country, the president
said while high quality Nigerian rice is
now competing favourably with imported
rice in the markets, rice importers cannot
hold the country hostage.
He said, “Nigeria, our dear country will
not be held hostage by rice importers.
There will be no sacred cows under my
watch. All those owing Nigeria on rice
import duties must pay.”
“Rice farmers across the country have a
new lease of life, due to the
transformation taking place in the sector.
Over 6 million rice farmers have received
improved rice seed varieties, boosting
domestic rice production by an additional
7 million metric tons.”
“Our rice millers have taken advantage of
these new opportunities, and the number
of integrated rice mills has expanded
from 1 (one) at the beginning of this
administration, to 24 today. And they are
all here today. I celebrate you all. I eat
Nigerian rice and can tell you it is better
than imported rice”.
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