LAGOS – The Chairman of the Agric and Agro-Allied Group of the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Kola Aderibigbe, has stressed the need for Nigeria to trace her steps back to the agrarian economy and combine same with the digital economy with a conducive business environment.
He made the call while speaking at the Agric & Allied Group 2024 Symposium/Agro-Fair, with the theme; ‘Nigeria Food Production in Global Space: Leveraging Our Competitive Advantage,’ at the LCCI Conference Centre in Alausa, Ikeja.
He said that agriculture ecosystems as a new economic frontier in Nigeria have the potential to revolutionize Nigeria’s economy and Nigerians’ lives, from healthcare, environmental sustainability, food production and security, financial sustainability, andeducation.
He said this could be a game changer and transform from obscurity to abundance and transform Nigeria into an enviable space globally.
Aderibigbe, noted that there should be increasing awareness and understanding among stakeholders and government agencies, adequate infrastructure and resources, and the need for harmonisation and surgical alignment with regional and international frameworks that will enhance capacity building, strengthen collaboration among stakeholders, and leveraging technology and innovation for efficiency.
He said each state’s ministry of Agriculture and Federal must get it right to deliver their mandate of national food security and seamless flow of agricultural-based raw materials for industrial development.
“When a nation sufficiently builds the capacity to self-feed itself, it would move to the next stage of development which is transferring its agricultural surplus to industrial raw materials. A hungry nationcannot be a productive nation.
“For all developed nations, national development rests on two critical supports historically: agricultural development and industrialization before the current digital economy.
“With security being the number two point on Mr. President’s eight-point agenda, we need to provide a secured, stable, and promising ambiance to encourage farmers and the citizens to go back to farm and to attract foreign agro-investors for sustainable national development.
Speaking further he said there is need to make agriculture attractive to the youth.
“Let’s continually leverage on getting our youth engaged positively and get them to develop an interest in agribusiness as tomorrow’s leaders through digitalization, creative art, security, empowerment, and fund availability.
He pointed out that it is the young population that can assist to drive transformational change required to take preeminence top position in Nigeria food production in global space.
He noted that food demand is rising constantly due to increasing populations and incomes, but the resources to meet this demand, such as affordable land, irrigation systems, and lack of good ecological systems which always affect over 20 states each year must be intentionally addressed.
Also, Gabriel Idahosa, President, LCCI in his address said that the nation today is at a crossroads facing unprecedented challenges in the food systems in the face of unique opportunities that could redefine Nigeria’s position in the global agricultural landscape.
“As we gather, we cannot ignore the urgent food crisis our nation faces where our food security situation is dire, with food inflation surging to 40.87 percent as of June 2024 and the number of food-insecure Nigerians skyrocketed from 66.2 million in Q1 2023 to 100 million in Q1 2024.
“Among these, 18.6 million are facing acute hunger. These figures are more than statistics; they represent millions of lives affected by hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.”
He said unfortunately the nation do not have the capacity to produce enough food to cater to the feeding needs of more than 230 million people.
Idahosa, noted that Nigeria must invest in agricultural research to boost output through improved seedlings, disease prevention, and the deployment of modern technology for agricultural mechanization.
“Despite every effort, persistent structural vulnerabilities have hindered Nigeria’s agricultural progress. The economy’s high dependence on oil revenue and food imports, rapid population growth, and urbanization present formidable challenges to our food systems,” he added.
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