Mr Adewale Raji, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, has advised state governments and other stakeholders in agriculture in the southwestern part of Nigeria to upscale their practice in line with global best practices.
The Odu’a boss specifically advised that it was high time all stakeholders in agriculture in the region came up with a transformation approach to farming using digital procedures to change the narrative of agriculture and allied businesses in South West Nigeria.
Mr. Raji who was a guest speaker at the launch of “Agbetuntun”, a programme organized by Odu’a Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture spoke on “Regional Approach to Agriculture Development: The Past, Present and Future.
Odu’a Group Managing Director said that youths should be encouraged to go into agriculture by introducing to them new technology and innovations that could enhance Agric business while other stakeholders in Agriculture can come up with digital platform that could provide value chain solutions to challenges confronting Agriculture and Agric business.
He further noted that if digital approach is used, significant increase will be recorded in farm produce, wealth and food security.
According to him, agriculture in the early 50s used to be the mainstay of the country’s economy where farmers, majority of who were old men relied majorly on traditional tools.
He, however maintained that to ensure food security in the Southwest while returning back the lost glory to agriculture, youths should be encouraged to go into sustainable agriculture using technology and innovations to enhance agric business in southwestern Nigeria.
“The Southwest needs a special programme devoted to a creation of new generation of farmers. The programme should provide young educated people interested in agriculture with training in agricultural entrepreneurship. It should also provide some financial and technological support. This new generation of farm entrepreneurs will thus be enabled to use imported technologies and modern management approaches that help ensure farm profitability and sustainable resource use” he emphasized.
Speaking on value chain solutions on issues confronting agric business, Mr. Raji said that such solution should include access to research, affordable finance, timely availability of quality seedlings and input, mechanization support, better agronomy services and guaranteed access to market.
The GMD said that as a way forward, government and other stakeholders should strengthen research and development institutions as a means of seeking new knowledge in order to enhance yield sustainability.
He also advised that government should initiate programmes and policies that would ensure adequate partnership between research institutions of learning to bridge the widening gap between theory and practice.
The development of agro-allied industries, Mr. Raji further advised, would ensure processing, preservation and packaging of agricultural products for consumption and export be encouraged.
While explaining that this idea would encourage local producers to engage fully in agriculture, he noted that more job would also be created while the process would also earn significant foreign exchange for the country.
Packaged by Olayinka Agboola
