The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Forum seeks women participation in job creation, regional integration

    Forum seeks women participation in job creation, regional integration

    Strengthening opportunities for women involvement in agriculture was among issues addressed by delegates at the Second African Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum(AWIEF), which was held in Lagos. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Experts and thought leaders  at the Second African Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), which was held in Lagos, have  urged governments across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to work towards a strong economy and increased  women participation in food production and processing.

    The forum also held sessions on vital sectors and pushed for ventures to promote food production, value addition, job creation and regional integration.

    AWIEF founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Irene Ochem stressed the need to empower women to ensure they attain their potential through agriculture.

    Mrs Ochem said the aim of the forum was to stimulate actions to accelerate Africa’s economic transformation, which require capacity building, inclusive growth and cooperation. She called for robust policies that encourage women to go into agribusinesses and adopt  farming practices that guarantee food security.

    One of the moderators and Chair, Run on Rana Energy Limited, Amina Ado, observed that agriculture represents a promising growth opportunity.

    Underscoring the role of women in agriculture, Ado said support for women would enable them to solve problems through food production.

    She said the Federal Government had inaugurated a roadmap for the agriculture sector, tagged:The Green Alternative: Agriculture Promotion Policy, 2016-2020, with the vision to revive the sector to boost food production. The policy, according to her, would serve as the fulcrum for economic diversification, inclusive growth and sustainable development.

    She said through the policy, farmers would have access to land, information, inputs, production management, storage, processing, marketing and trade and finance.

    In addition, she said there was a possibility of achieving economic diversification which would reduce dependence on oil.

    President, Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs (GAWE), Lucia Quachey, stressed the  need for women to work together  to  ensure they have access to the $300 million fund set aside by the African Development Bank (AFDB) for women to boost their businesses.

    She canvassed a regional strategy to promote women’s participation in the sector.

    She said economies could begin to close the gender gap by making it possible for more women to unleash their potential as farmers, entrepreneurs and business leaders.

    The sector, according to her, remains a significant contributor to poverty reduction and food security. She added that empowering women would benefit economies in terms of value addition, job creation and regional integration.

    Quachey, who is also the Vice-President, ECOWAS Federation of Women Entrepreneurs, expressed concern over the decreasing number of women in agriculture.

    She called for support for women to participate and benefit from transformation opportunities to improve their lives and livelihoods.

    She stressed that there was a need to develop women’s capacity to boost food production and create more wealth, if the economies of the sub-region must pick up.

    GAWE, according to her, supports women to participate profitably in value chain and agribusiness development by improving access to financial services, business skills and technologies and innovations for agro-processing.

    GAWE’s initiatives, she added, seek to enhance women entrepreneurs’ access to opportunities, including technologies that facilitate efficient ways of starting up or conducting a business.

    According to her, employment opportunities would increase as more women-led agro micro-enterprises in remote, rural communities take advantage of trade opportunities to boost revenues.

    She said through the initiatives, linkages were established between farmers and micro-enterprises.

    The association, she added, provides training on marketing and helps women producers explore opportunities and develop a catalogue of products.

    Agro-processing, a step-up in the industrialisation drive, is still underdeveloped but offers tremendous commercial opportunities Quachey said.

    Involvement of women, she noted, would bring in some of the revenue governments need for development if member economies advance women’s economic participation in agriculture and food processing.

    While the potential exists for women to position their products in new markets, continued support is needed to help them move  from local enterprises to big businesses.

    She said by increasing women’s participation and enhancing their efficiency and productivity, a dramatic impact on the competitiveness and growth of the region’s economies can be achieved.

    One solution she suggested to boost women participation was creation of agricultural co-operatives.

    The existence of such groups in Ghana, she noted, has provided an institutional framework for women to solve many of their problems.

    President, Sidi Osho Foundation and past Vice- Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Prof Sidi Osho said feeding the burgeoning population would require significant improvements in agricultural productivity and appropriate mechanisation strategies.

    She said there was enormous potential in agriculture and women must be ready to turn them into major opportunities to change their lives.

    She added that large scale farming and well-developed infrastructure are the best way of drawing women into the agricultural sector.

    According to her, economic transformation is now urgent due to recent developments in the international economy.

    She pointed out that recent developments in the African economies have  made the need for agricultural transformation more urgent as the events have exposed the vulnerability of most economies to external factors.

    She emphasised the need for structural transformation in the agricultural sector and for the government to concentrate on the potential offered by industrialisation and food production. If women farmers increase their productivity and reduce  imports, this would reduce poverty, enhance food and nutrition security and support a more inclusive pattern of growth.

    She encouraged the audience to use the forum as an opportunity to galvanise more action on economic transformation.

    The Chair person, Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation (POWER), Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke,who was  represented by its Executive Director, Mrs Ndodeye Bassey-Obongha stressed the need for increased investments in women  as they make up 43 per cent of the agriculture labour force.

    Although women have a large role in food production in many sub-Saharan African countries, she maintained that they will continue to have less access to land, fertilisers, seeds, credit and extension services than men.

    She said: “Women’s economic participation and their ownership and control over productive assets speed up development, help overcome poverty, reduce inequalities and improve children’s nutrition, health, and school attendance.”

    She explained that the organisation, Project Awake, is a community-driven project whose target beneficiaries are women “agric-preneurs”.

    Project Awake implementation, she  added,  is  done in agro enterprise clusters.  Each cluster is made up of 10 villages selected along mandate crop geographical mapping within each local government area.

    The project has created 2,960 women agribusiness owners from 183 cooperatives created in the 18 local government areas(LGAs) of Cross River State. In addition, she said the project has facilitated access to credit loan through bank linkages for 2,196 women farmers.

    For instance, she said  one of the  organisations, Mossi Women Cooperative, engaged in cassava farming received $2,896.74 as loan and had increased their farm size from 1.5 to 2.5 hectares.

    Another group, Beyin Business Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS),she mentioned, could only

    buy only a maximum of 20 bags of rice for storage, but with the loan of N930, 000 ($4,730.42), they added N1, 000,000 ($5,086.47) from their savings and bought up to 413 bags of rice for the first time which they had processed and sold, raising a revenue of N3, 500,000 ($17,802.64) during the trading cycle.

    One of the highlights of the event was the unveiling of Women Economic Empowerment Initiative (WEEIN), a programme designed by the Lagos State Government in partnership with AWIEF to facilitate access to finance and other services needed by women entrepreneurs.

  • Boosting cassava production through youth empowerment

    Boosting cassava production through youth empowerment

    Efforts are on by Harvest Plus, an international organisation, through its partners, to promote youth involvement in cassava production and create a sustainable means of livelihood for them. The goal is to transform cassava into a money spinner, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Cassava is driving industrial development while delivering incomes to farmers. This is coming on the heels of the rising demand for garri, feed and other derivatives. Stakeholders, however, believe Nigerians cannot meet its potential for growth if it does not increase production and opportunities along the value chains are not explored.

    Harvest Plus, an international organisation, is offering Nigerians income-earning opportunities in the cassava industry to pursue their farming businesses. Among the beneficiaries are young people and women.

    Working with Harvest Plus, Director, Development Dynamics, Owerri, Imo State, Dr. Jude Ohanele,  said the organisation was collaborating with the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, (FUTO) and the Rotary Club of Aladinma, Owerri to get young school leavers and undergraduates to take to agriculture and become successful entrepreneurs.

    The partnership is anchored by a student body, ENACTUS.

    He said the organisation was promoting cassava as a viable agri-business for undergraduates in FUTO, and also encouraging youth enterprise.

    Ohanele said the organisation was determined to promote youth enterprise, using opportunities provided by Vitamin A cassava.

    His firm helps youths to reposition for entrepreneurship and employment by exploring business opportunities in bio-fortified foods introduced by Harvest Plus.

    It works in villages, providing training, and organising field days with extension specialists and farmers.

    Akwa Ibom State University’s (AKSU’s) partner and cassava enterprise development specialist Dr. Edna Akpan said the partners were promoting business opportunities through the sale and distribution of  pro Vitamin A weaning formula for babies.

    The producers tapped into the nutritional content of Vitamin A cassava to produce what they  hoped  would “tackle the challenge of malnutrition.”

    She said the level of adoption of Vitamin A cassava in the state was huge and demand high, creating opportunities for farmers and processors who wanted added value to Vitamin A cassava.

    Since Harvest Plus started working on improving the cassava  value chain for small-scale farmers in the state, Dr Akpan said  their income and livelihood had improved as well as their knowledge of the market.

    Apart from scaling out hectares of improved cassava varieties, she added that the group has distributed cassava stems to 200 farming households. In addition, she said  there was  focus on training  youths on improving cassava yields and output, primarily to increase national food security. This is achieved through distribution of bio-fortified and higher-yielding cultivars to them.

    She said the AKSU,  Akwa Ibom State Agricultural Development Project (AKADEP) the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DfID) Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE)  are working in partnership with HarvestPlus Nigeria to mainstream vitamin A cassava into the state’s business space.

    Harvest Plus’ Country Manager Paul Ilona urged the partners to ensure that their efforts caused the desired change in agricultural practices, nutrition and enterprise, noting that much as there desired to expand to other states, there was a need to strengthen relations among partners in the state.

    A  partner, Mrs Martha Akoje  in Benue State  said her team has been able to distribute about 40,000 bio-fortified stems to farmers.

    She  said farmers received planting materials to multiply and were trained on how to ensure the highest yields and healthiest crops.

    To stimulate partnerships for investment in the food and agricultural sectors, Ilona said the  organisation‘s annual Nutritious Food Fair (NFF) would hold between November 9 and 11 at Tinapa and the Calabar International Convention Center (CICC), in Cross River State. Expected guests at the event include  Cross River State governor, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade; his Anambra State counterpart, Chief Willie Obiano; Ministers of Agriculture and Health, Chief Audu Ogbeh and Prof. Isaac Adewole, respectively and World Food Prize Winners, Dr. Howarth Boius and Dr. Jan Low, among others.

    He  said the event would hold in Calabar and that there was no commercial intention in organising the fair which aims to bring together heavy weights in the industrial sector, food processors and farmers, so as to create necessary linkages and forge partnerships in the nutritious foods value chain.

    “This year’s event would hold in Calabar. It is titled: Multisectoral Partnership To Promote More Nutritious Crops and Foods. We, as always, do not have a commercial intention. We want to create linkages to promote partnerships in the nutritious food sector. We are providng a platform for conversation on and around nutrition, not in terms of quantity, but quality. We are using the fair as medium to get big industries to explore home grown sources of nutritious staples as raw materials for their products,” he said.

    Ilona said yields and nutritional quality were important factors from a household food and nutrition security point of view,  which  the organisation was offering Nigerians through bio-fortified maize and cassava.

    Harvest Plus leads a global effort to breed and disseminate micronutrient-rich staple food crops to reduce hidden hunger among malnourished populations. It is an inter-disciplinary programme that works with academic and research institutions, civil society organisations, governments, and the private sector in more than 40 countries.

  • How agric can boost competitiveness, salvage economy

    To pull the economy out of recession, the Federal Government and the private sector have been urged to pay more attention to the agric value chain to boost jobs and incomes for farmers, processors and retailers.

    This was the view of speakers at an agricultural seminar organised by Excel Multi-purpose Co-operative Limited and powered by  Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Lagos Province (LP) 4 and 48, in Lagos.

    The speakers urged Nigerians to tap into value chains to accelerate economic transformation through development of activities involving movement of  farm products from production centres to consumers.

    One of them, Chief Executive, Yeshua Papaya Farms, Bimbo Dada, stressed that production of value-added agricultural products would boost foreign earnings and wealth creation.

    Dada added that focusing on processing for local consumption and export would create millions of jobs and empower youths.

    He said: “Using paw-paw as a case study, one of its value added products is paw-paw milk called papain, which is untapped in Nigeria with its numerous potentials. Pharmaceutical companies are in high demand for paw-paw seeds and dried leaves. Other value added products include papaya jam, papaya jelly, papaya juice and yogurt, papaya leaf tea, papaya concentrates, papaya smoothies and even dried papaya fruits which can be consumed locally and even exported. This is just one of the numerous areas of agriculture which we can leverage on.”

    Another  speaker, Dapo Olakunlehin, urged processors to  satisfy local demand before attempting to export.

    He said: “I recommend agro-processing for everybody because you can determine the price of your products regardless of competitors’ activities. And just before we start talking about export, let us focus on what we will eat. It is after we can satisfy the local market then; we can talk about meeting international standard.”

    Assistant Pastor, RCCG’s LP 48, Bamidele Olurin, said the seminar was timely, with increasing focus on building youth interest in agriculture  as well as getting the aged involved. He added that an engaging and vibrant agric sector was capable of sustaining the economy.

    He, however, urged the government to make information on agricultural opportunities available to the masses as this would attract people to engage in the long-neglected sector and provide a headway for the economy.

    He said: “We find ourselves where we are today because we neglected so many other sectors in the country. We concentrated on the crude oil industry neglecting the non-crude oil sector. Now with the situation that we have in the country today, we realise that everybody has to go back to non-crude oil sector. We also realised that we cannot leave this to government alone. And as a faith- based organisation, in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), one of the things we can at least do is to provide information for the people.”

  • Lagos: commodity exchange ‘ll transform agric

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Mustapha Abiodun Akinkunmi, has said   a virile commodity exchange will transform the agricultural sector characterised by low output and poverty among farmers.

    Globally, commodities exchanges offer more stable, more ethical trading platforms where farmers can benefit from fairer transactions.

    Akinkunmi, who spoke at the just- concluded stakeholders’ forum at the Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, said a vibrant exchange would help break the cycle of poverty of rural farmers caused by low incomes, poor productivity output and low-level investment in farming activities.

    A handful of African countries, according to him, have set up commodity exchanges to develop markets and improve food security.

    He said for instance, since Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) trading platform started in 2008, it has become transparent and efficient for farmers.

    Besides this, there is a functioning marketing infrastructure for farmers.

    According to him, a commodity exchange boost farmers’ earnings by helping to stabilise prices of commodities which tend to fall sharply during harvest when there is a supply glut.

    To promote entrepreneurship, he said Lagos  government established the N25 billion State Employment Trust Fund.

    The fund, Akinkunmi,  explained, provided an opportunity for entrepreneurs to take advantage and contribute their quotas to the socio-economic growth and development of the country.

     

  • Expert makes case for improved food safety

    Dean School of Science and Technology, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State  Prof Dele Fapohunda  has made a case for improved  food safety practices across the nation’s agriculture sector.

    As the food economy expands and  the supply chains grow more complex, Fapohunda noted that the economy is facing challenges in food safety capacity.

    He added that food safety  should  be a fundamental requirement food retailers and food service companies  and   there should be  standards  to assess the ability of food processors to comply with food safety requirements and demonstrate due diligence.

    He sees food safety as a shared responsibility involving consumers, regulators, lawmakers and the food industry, adding that  it was  a challenge that required concerted, proactive efforts from private-public partnerships.

    To this end, he said leaders from agriculture, agri-business, research, civil society organisations, development and technical partners should be involved in the campaign to promote food safety.

    With the economy facing a crisis, Fapohunda called for concerted efforts to tackle food production and address the specific problems of the sector.

    He urged the government to   establish policies that will increase investment and strengthen agricultural productivity.

     

  • Poultry farmers seek support as revenue remains low

    Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON) Vice-President (Agriculture), Mr Stephen Oladipupo, says the poultry industry is facing a sustained period of low profits, following high cost of raw materials.

    Oladipupo, a poultry farmer, said the industry is struggling to deal with a rise in chicken feed prices.

    The biggest challenge facing the industry, he said, is the high cost of feed – resulting primarily from higher corn cost.

    Oladipupo said raw material cost, largely feedstock, has risen significantly. Feed prices are nearly 70 percent of the total cost in the sector.

    He said there is the shortage of soya meal and the cost has skyrocketed.

    According to him, the cost of a bag of feed is N3,000, from   N2,200 in January, pushing up the total production cost of chicken. However, the price of eggs in the market has not enjoyed similar increase.

    He explained that producers are searching for profit opportunities in the face of anaemic consumer demand and, volatile grain prices.

    According to him, the cost of producing a chicken had risen since the start of the year, but the farmers can’t  pass the price increase on.

    The rise in feed prices, he maintained has put pressure on poultry producers’ margins.

    Adding to the economic damage to the sub-sector is the unprecedented level of volatility of input prices.

    While the poultry industry overproduced early this year, he said prices were weak, and there was a wait for demand to pick up.

    He called for emergency assistance and increased funding to address the harsh economic realities brought on by historically low prices and too high production costs.

    Confirming the situation, Lagos State Federated FADAMA Community Association President, Alhaji Abiodun Oyenekan, said the poultry sub-sector is experiencing a turbulent economic environment, with feed costs remaining the wild card in his outlook. The corn supply remains very tight, and he expects a continued volatility in corn prices.

    Though the industry has requested that the government allow imports of corn and soya, which could soften the prices in the local markets, the challenge is the exchange rate of the naira that can make the whole arrangement unprofitable if the government would agree, because of concerns about grain farmers. While some poultry farmers are racking up record debts as they struggle to cope with the high price of inputs that have squeezed profits and hit revenue, Oyenekan, said arable farmers are making a little profit despite the economic challenges.

  • Forum seeks improved support for agric

    The Food and Agriculture Writers Forum of Nigeria (FAWN) has said the agriculture sector needs a transformation to ensure food security and sustainable livelihood for farmers.

    FAWN viewed with deep concern the spiraling prices of food, increasing hunger and malnutrition arising from unfavourable investment climate and weak naira that has affected the agro-allied sector.

    In a statement signed by the association’s coordinating Secretary, Mr. Fabian Odum, the body noted that the increasing rate of inflation has also shrunk the purchasing power of the Nigerian consumer considerably. It also observed that young agropreneurs and agricultural Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are facing challenges accessing funds from the banking channels.

    The forum called  on the government to prevail on banks to assist farmers to access credits at low interest rate.

    According to the forum, the  plan to reduce wheat importation by 50 per cent in 2017/2018 remains a dream because the fund needed to finance the procurement of about 15,000 metric tons of seed to cover 150,000 hectares estimated at over N2 billion is unavailable. The forum noted: “Effectively, only Kano and Zamfara states made attempts of the 13 wheat-growing states to do the crop at the launch of the CBN Anchor Borrowers scheme, December 2015.”

    To further bolster dollar earnings and shore up the naira through agriculture, the forum called for support for growing and export of cashew, mango, sesame, ginger, garlic, flowers among others including processed aquaculture products targeted at ethnic markets in Europe and North America.

  • Lagos to build silos for rice storage

    Lagos to build silos for rice storage

    Lagos State will soon build silos to improve its grains storage capacity. The government will also work on its logistics links to boost grain supply chain and bolster food security.

    Special Adviser to Governor AkinwumiAmbode on Food Security, Sanni Okanlawon, who made this known, said the state was building a 3, 000 metric tonne-silo in Imota, to usher in high economic efficiency as farmers would be able to preserve rice for several months.

    He stressed the need for private sector collaboration with the state to build more silos, help maintain rice quality and raise the competitiveness of Nigerian grains.

    Okanlawon said the state was determined to increase the aggregate food supply from less than 15 percent to 25 per cent through various projects and programmes.

    He noted that as part of efforts to increase food supply and ensure food security, the state government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, was implementing its strategic food security plan with programmes and projects that have a remarkable impact on food security.

    According to him, some of the programmes and projects intensified to boost food production included  collaboration between Lagos and Kebbi states for the development of agricultural commodities like rice, wheat, groundnut, onions, maize/sorghum and beef value chains; the Agric Youth Empowerment Scheme (AGRIC-YES) Araga, Epe; and continued establishment of infrastructural facilities at Songhai-Avia, Badagry under the Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme.

    “Others are the Estates Initiatives on Poultry; Fish; Vegetable and Arable Crops; Coconut Development in Lagos State for tourism and poverty alleviation; commercial agriculture development project to increase productivity; National Fadama development project for poverty alleviation; input subsidy and organic farming promotion to increase farmers income; farm mechanisation to reduce drudgery in Agriculture; and Agricultural land holdings and management to improve access by genuine farmers to land,” he added.

    He also stated that the state government was not relenting in its rural finance institution building programme and school agricultural programme, adding that it was also strengthening its Agricultural Extension Services and animation to improve farmers’ productivity, while development of modern abattoirs to provide wholesome meat to the citizens is accorded desired priority.

    He stated that in furtherance to the ministry’s efforts at boosting rice production, a total of 100 farmers through the FADAMA III additional financing programme have been settled on the 500 hectares of land acquired in Eggua, Ogun State, adding that through this, rice cultivation has improved in the state.

  • Govt, farmers to boost forex

    Govt, farmers to boost forex

    The Federal Government is determined to collaborate with farmers in Bayelsa State to boost foreign exchange earnings and create jobs.

    The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said this when he visited some farms in Bayelsa State where he inspected an exhibition of farm produce. He also held a town hall meeting with farmers.

    Lokpobiri, who is from the state, assured his people of the Federal Government’s  assistance in tapping the resources of Bayelsa.

    He stressed the need to rewrite the history of the state from what it was known for – militancy – to being a huge revenue generating state that is blessed by God with rich human and natural resources, land for farming and aquaculture.

    Lokpobiri visited some farms, including Zada Farms and Investment Company, Eresere, Frefa Investment Company with a modern technology, where over 4000 day old chicks are managed technologically till maturity.

    He visited Chief Ebikiri Akpolus’s Farm and Achiever’s Farm where there was an exhibition of a farm produce and town hall meeting.

    The Federal Government, the Minister said, has organisations which are willing to assist farmers. He listed these as National Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Bank of Agriculture (BOA) West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) and the Federal Department of Agriculture and Agribusiness.

    Bayelsa State Chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Chairman Mr. Suoyo Amaran, thanked the Minister for the visit and believed it would open a new page for farmers. He, however, enumerated some of their constraints to include – access to funds, issue of collateral and high interest rate, availability of relevant equipment, lack of training and retraining of farmers and lack of government’s support.T

  • How agric can rescue economy, by experts

    Concerted efforts are needed to revive the  economy by stimulating    agricultural growth measures, experts have said.

    According to them, the agricultural sector accounts for 70 per cent of the nation’s employment ratio, and it is a major contributor to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP). Therefore, it requires support for expansion, including improving irrigation facilities, providing food security and creation of various funds and schemes.

    The experts include a professor of Rural Development Communication Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Kolawole Adebayo and former Dean Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Prof Abiodun Adeloye.

    They stated that building roads, power plants, ports and other infrastructure was key to spurring economic activities and unlocking opportunities in agriculture across the country.

    In an interview with The Nation on the economic challenge, Adebayo said: “The best way out of recession is increased government expenditures in the sectors that create and retain jobs while developing infrastructures. So, if we pay local contractors to develop rural roads, we would not only generate jobs in road construction, but facilitate  transportation of agricultural products and improve people’s lives.”

    For Adeloye, agriculture is still the major source of income and employment for the population, adding that it has played the most important role in poverty reduction.

    With Nigeria’s GDP dropping due to the fall in oil price and output and increasing insecurity challenge,  he noted that it was time Nigeria built its economy on agriculture.  “So we need to get back there. Let’s go back to the farms and do the work. God has been good, the rain is much this year so why dont we key into the goodies of the abundant rainfall? Agriculture and export of agriculture produce are possible solutions.”

    He emphasised the need to tackle poverty as well as support growth of agriculture to boost domestic demand.

    International Society for Root Crops, Africa Branch President and Dean, College of Food Science and Human Ecology, Department of Food Science & Technology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Prof. Lateef Sanni, said Nigeria’s agriculture sector had to reform its production and business structure to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI).

    He said the agricultural sector  should restructure production and business, including solutions on attracting investment from home and abroad.

    Sanni said attracting FDI in the domestic agriculture sector required setting the goals to develop a more vibrant and diversified rural economy with sustainable agricultural growth, high-value creation, food safety in line with international standard, higher competitiveness and farmer income, and technology-intensive agriculture.