By Jide Ayobolu<\/p>\n
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono
\nhas called for the adoption of modern biotechnology in achieving food
\nsecurity amid COVID-19 pandemic. The Agric Minister said the adoption of
\ntechnologies in plant and animal breeding has become imperative
\nfollowing the enormous advantages attached to it. Speaking during a
\nwebinar session on technological interventions in mitigating impacts of
\nCOVID-19 organised by the National Biotechnology Development Agency
\n(NABDA), Alhaji Nanono said with biotechnology, the shelf life of
\nagricultural produce could be extended. \u201cTechnology is critical in
\ntoday\u2019s world, and its relevance in agriculture is all the more
\ncrucial in preventing farmers\u2019 crop losses to disease; enhancing
\nmarket access; and the achievement of appropriate pricing for farm
\ninputs, services and produce. \u201cThis is particularly important for
\nsmallholder farmers at this time as the vagaries brought on by the
\nunavoidable movement restrictions imposed by government at the onset of
\nthe pandemic have served to disrupt agricultural supply chains across
\nthe world. \u201cHowever, biotechnology, in particular, looks set to play
\nan even more intense role in the food security situation in Nigeria.
\n\u201cIt is important to state as a preliminary point, that for thousands
\nof years, farmers have been using breeding techniques to modify the
\ngenetic state of crops and animals to improve quality and yield.
\n\u201cModern biotechnology is, therefore, a crucial tool in the drive to
\nproduce plants and animals that possess traits capable of enhancing
\nhumanity\u2019s capacity to secure its food systems. \u201cSimilarly, with the
\naid of biotechnology, we can extend the shelf life of agricultural
\nproduce. Indeed, without the galvanizing power of biotechnology,
\nprocessing and value addition, which are critical for
\nagro-industrialization would be retarded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Agric Minister further said with the COVID-19 pandemic, biotechnology
\nhas proven to be an integral part of the medical response. The Minister,
\nhowever, said the Ministry will continue to support and engender
\ninvestments in science and technology.<\/p>\n
On his part, the Acting Director-General of NABDA, Professor Alex Akpa,
\nsaid scientists must strive to find solutions facing mankind through the
\ndeployment of technologies, despite the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
\nHe said biotechnology has been proven to be a powerful tool which can
\nhelp to address lot issues including disease outbreak, hunger and pest
\ninfestation. \u201cThe Covid-19 pandemic has placed on us a lot of
\nrestrictions and as scientists, we must strive to find solutions to the
\nchallenges facing mankind through the deployment of science and
\ntechnology. \u201cThe webinar, therefore, is our attempt to fashion out
\nstrategies on how we can take advantage of modern biotechnology to
\naddress this monster \u2013 COVID 19 pandemic. \u201cBiotechnology is a very
\npowerful tool that has the potential of helping us address a lot of
\nsituations including disease outbreaks, hunger, malnutrition,
\ninsects\/pest\u2019s infestation and drought,\u201d he said. Professor Akpa
\nsaid with technology in agriculture, Nigeria can leapfrog its
\nproduction, have better quality products and high yields, reduce
\ndrudgery, improve resistance to pests and diseases. \u201cWe have been able
\nto unfold a programme capable of producing about 5 million yam seedlings
\nusing the aeroponics technology for farmers across Nigeria in this
\nCovid-19 lockdown era. Last year, 1 Million seedlings were produced,
\nwhich was distributed to farmers for cultivation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the Nigerian government said it has concluded plans to
\ncarry out COVID-19 tests for five million Nigerian farmers across the
\ndifferent regions in the country. This was disclosed by the Minister of
\nAgriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono while delivering his
\nkeynote speech on the theme, \u2018Technological interventions in
\nmitigating impacts of COVID-19\u2019, during a virtual meeting with major
\nplayers in the sector. \u201cI am happy to announce that plans are in place
\nto test five million Nigerian farmers as part of Mr President\u2019s
\nmandate for famine inhibiting food production,\u201d he said. The minister
\ndid not disclose the plans for a country that has tested less than
\n300,000 people for COVID-19 since February when it had its index case.
\nAn earlier announcement by the health minister, Osagie Ehanire, for the
\ncountry to test two million people in three months could not be
\nachieved. Mr Nanono highlighted some of the major roles biotechnology
\nhas played in achieving food security. He said modern biotechnology is a
\ncrucial tool in the drive to produce plants and animals that possess
\ntraits capable of enhancing humanity\u2019s capacity to secure its food
\nsystems. He said with the aid of biotechnology, the shelf life of
\nagricultural produce can be extended.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, without the galvanising power of biotechnology, processing
\nand value addition, which are critical for agro-industrialisation would
\nbe retarded,\u201d he added. He said the ministry will continue to support
\ninvestments in science and technology. The minister said he had directed
\nthe commencement of a comprehensive appraisal of the Nigerian
\nagricultural research system, with a view to identifying ways of
\nenhancing the performance of research institutions. He noted that the
\nmanagement and staff of these institutions are hereby requested \u201cto
\njoin hands with the governments in seeking technology-based solutions to
\nexisting problems such as low yield, pest and insect infestation, as
\nwell as post-harvest losses.\u201d \u201cEmphasis should also be placed on
\ndemand-driven beneficial technologies,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In his remarks, Yemi Akinbamijo, the executive director, Forum for
\nAgricultural Research in Africa (FARA), said Nigeria is a significant
\nplayer in the promotion of Sustainable Development Goals in the
\ncontinent. He said Nigeria has the wherewithal to deploy technology
\n\u201cthat will not allow Nigerians go to bed hungry every night*. \u201cI
\nbelieve very strongly that Nigeria is an emerging leader to deploy
\ntechnology,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will not do well if we continue to plant
\ngrains instead of seed. We will not do well if we continue to broaden
\nthe yield gap,\u201d he said. He said even as COVID-19 is causing job
\nlosses, there are more opportunities in the agricultural sector to be
\nleveraged upon. \u201cOne plus one should not be two, it should be greater
\nthan three or more. Tissue culture is the way to go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Recalled that it is important to note that, the former the minister of
\nagriculture and now the President of African Development Bank (ADB), Dr.
\nAkinwumi Adesina lamented that, Nigeria spends over N356 billion yearly
\non the importation of rice, similarly, Nigeria spends over N100 billion
\nannually to import fish. And, the country spends N1.6 trillion on the
\nimportation of wheat, sugar, rice and fish on a yearly basis. The former
\nminister also regretted that Nigeria has the third absolute number of
\nstunted children in the world with 41 per cent of children under the age
\nof five stunted, 23 per cent underweight and 14 per cent wasted. Also,
\nhe said, Nigeria\u2019s import and export ratio has remained at 92 per cent
\nimport and 8 per cent export. It for this reason that President Buhari
\nsaid recently in an economic retreat, as it relates to agriculture that,
\nit has been neglected over the years, and veritable government
\nintervention is required in the crucial sector, that if carefully
\nmanaged, can lead to self-sufficiency in food production, solve the
\nproblem of mass unemployment, increase the country\u2019s foreign earnings,
\nand grow our per capita income. In his words, he stated that \u201cfor too
\nlong government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted,
\nsuffering from inconsistencies. Yet our real wealth is in farming,
\nlivestock, hatcheries, fishery, horticulture and forestry\u201d. He further
\nexplained the some of the challenges in the sector, such as rising cost
\nof food, lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices, high cost of
\nfertilizers, pesticides and labour compound the problem of extension
\nservices, import of food items that can be easily produced locally,
\nwastages because of the absence of adequate storage facilities as well
\nas lack of feeder rods to transport foods produced in rural areas to
\nurban centres, just to mention but a few of the difficulties encountered
\nin the sector. He also said that, in solving the problem the public must
\nbe carried along and educated about the plans of government so that,
\nthey can key into it and benefit maximally from it, in addition, he
\nreasoned that, there must be a close working relationship between the
\nfederal government and the state governments, to really boost
\nagriculture and solve some of the problems in the sector, for example,
\nthe massive availability of feeder roads to make transportation of food
\nfrom the country-sides to the city centres less cumbersome, there should
\nalso be the availability of soft loans to farmers with the CBN bearing
\nsome of the risk as well as the exigent need intermittent stakeholders
\nmeeting on how to move the sector forward.<\/p>\n
President Buhari has also reiterated that with declining revenues from
\ncrude oil exports, Nigeria\u2019s hopes of an economic resurgence now lie
\nin the rapid development of its immense agricultural and solid mineral
\nresources. He said that Nigeria had regrettably depended too much on
\ncrude oil exports to the neglect of other resources and was now paying a
\nharsh price for failing to diversify its economy early enough. The
\npresident also explained that \u201cWith the downturn in the global prices
\nof oil, we now have to exploit our agricultural potentials\u201d. We have
\nto return to agriculture.<\/p>\n
It would be recalled that the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu,
\nsays efforts to get the nation out of its present economic challenges
\nare beginning to yield positive results, especially in agriculture.
\nAccording to him, an increase in the volume of rice production and
\nprocessing across the country is already saving the country a lot of
\nforeign exchange. Mr. Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant on
\nMedia and Publicity to the President, said that Nigeria only imported
\n58,000 tons of rice from Thailand in 2015 as against 1.2 million tons in
\n2014. He revealed that due to the country\u2019s growing rice production
\noccasioned by the Central Bank of Nigeria\u2019s decision to deny foreign
\nexchange for the importation of rice \u201cparboiled rice mills\u2019\u2019 in
\nsome Asian countries were shutting down production. According to him,
\nthis is because Nigeria, which is one of the world\u2019s largest importers
\nof rice no longer, buys rice from them. \u201cFive of such mills in
\nThailand servicing Nigeria have stopped production due to the withdrawal
\nof our patronage,\u201d he added. According to him, the government is
\nwatching with a keen interest in the growing investment in rice milling
\nby the private sector. He said the government would continue to
\nencourage the Ministry of Agriculture on such efforts through BUA
\nIndustries in Jigawa and Dangote in Kano. He said such encouragement
\nwould also be extended to OLAM and WACOTT in Nasarawa and Kebbi as well
\nas a consortium of businessmen led by a former governor in Anambra. The
\npresidential aide noted with delight that the price of a bag of
\nfertilizer had been reduced from over N9,000 per bag to 5,500. \u201cThis
\ncountry has about 32 fertilizer blending plants that have remained idle
\nfor many years, but that about half of that number is now in production
\nwith many of them running three shifts a day.\u201d He said some of the
\nblending plants have now provided direct employment to hundreds of
\nworkers and indirect employment opportunities to thousands of others.
\nMr. Shehu said that the Buhari administration\u2019s agricultural
\nrevolution was bringing about other socio-economic changes in the
\ncountry. He said that a recent survey carried out in two urban areas of
\nJigawa and Kiyawa showed that jobless young men were migrating from
\ncommercial motorcycle business known as, `achaba\u2019, to farming. \u201cIn
\nKiyawa, it takes a long wait to catch a commercial motorcycle because
\nthey are rapidly disappearing. \u201cThe young men are moving to the farms.
\nThese are development issues in the country that our media should pay
\nattention to,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
President Muhammadu Buhari noted at an economic retreat that,
\nagriculture has been neglected over the years, and veritable government
\nintervention is required in the crucial sector, that if carefully
\nmanaged, can lead to self-sufficiency in food production, solve the
\nproblem of mass unemployment, increase the country\u2019s foreign earnings,
\nand grow our per capita income. In his words, he stated that \u201cfor too
\nlong government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted,
\nsuffering from inconsistencies. Yet our real wealth is in farming,
\nlivestock, hatcheries, fishery, horticulture and forestry\u201d.<\/p>\n
He further explained the some of the challenges in the sector, such as
\nrising cost of food, lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices,
\nhigh cost of fertilizers, pesticides and labour compound the problem of
\nextension services, import of food items that can be easily produced
\nlocally, wastages because of the absence of adequate storage facilities
\nas well as lack of feeder rods to transport foods produced in rural
\nareas to urban centres, just to mention but a few of the difficulties
\nencountered in the sector. He also said that, in solving the problem the
\npublic must be carried along and educated about the plans of government
\nso that, they can key into it and benefit maximally from it, in
\naddition, he reasoned that, there must be a close working relationship
\nbetween the federal government and the state governments, to really
\nboost agriculture and solve some of the problems in the sector, for
\nexample, the massive availability of feeder roads to make transportation
\nof food from the country-sides to the city centres less cumbersome,
\nthere should also be the availability of soft loans to farmers with the
\nCBN bearing some of the risk as well as the exigent need intermittent
\nstakeholders meeting on how to move the sector forward. Agriculture in
\nNigeria is one area that can turn the fortunes, destiny, direction and
\ndynamics of this great country around for the very best with the
\nshortest space of time.<\/p>\n
Again, President Buhari said for Nigeria to realize her dream of
\nbecoming one of the world\u2019s largest economies by 2020, emphasis must
\nbe placed on improving the agricultural sector of her economy. \u201cIt is
\nno longer viable for Nigeria to depend on crude oil and gas exports as
\nthe country\u2019s major revenue earner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides, agriculture is the mainstay of mankind, therefore wise nations
\nall over the globe give it a priority by developing and exploiting this
\nsector for the upkeep of their teeming populations through the earning
\ndevelopment purpose, as well as employment, stemming down of crimes,
\ncorruption and other forms of indiscipline which work against all
\nfactors of life, living and most of all economic production. With the
\nrecent fall of oil price in the International market, many countries,
\nincluding Nigeria have resorted to alternatives. Nigeria as a country
\nhas neglected Agriculture with the discovery of oil. It is important to
\ngo back because agriculture is the major and most certain path to
\neconomic growth and sustainability. It encompasses all aspects of human
\nactivities being the art, act, a cultural necessity and science of
\nproduction of goods through the cultivation of land and management of
\nplants and animals which create an activity web-chain that satisfies
\nsocial-economic needs.<\/p>\n
It is for these reasons and more that the present administration has
\ninvested heavily in the agriculture sector and the dividends of the
\nhandwork put into the all-important sector has started to manifest, even
\nwith the deployment of technology and modern facilities as well as
\nadequate finance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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