How FG is Wooing Entrepreneurs, Investors into Agriculture
The Federal Government wooed entrepreneurs and investors to invest in livestock, horticulture, fisheries and others to take Nigeria into self-sufficiency, food security, rich nutrition, and wealth creation along various value chains.
This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, at a ‘Roundtable Discussion on Agro-preneurs Success Stories and Mentorship Clinic in celebration of the 2021 World Food Day’ with theme, ‘Our Actions are our Future, Better production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life’.
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Abubakar said: “This year’s celebration marked the 41st edition of the World Food Day in Nigeria, as well as marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of the FAO and the 61st anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence as a Sovereign Nation.
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“It is on record that Government economic diversification policy to agriculture, as alternative to oil and gas, and the investment of agro-preneurs projected Nigeria to become the largest producer of rice in Africa from 2019, the first in Cassava and Yam production globally. It also ranked the 14th in Maize production and 4th in Palm oil. Now we have notable domestic brands in rice that are competing with foreign international brands.
“The expectations we have in agriculture to take Nigeria to the promise land could only be achieved when our entrepreneurs take deliberate actions to invest in different value-chains.
“The potentials across crops, livestock, horticulture and fisheries sub-sectors are enormous. Therefore, it is the ingenuity of entrepreneurs like some of you here that would add value to our produce and guarantee the revenue generation potentials of the sector.
“With concerted effort of Agro-preneurs. I am very optimistic that the contribution of agriculture to the Nigerian economy will increase exponentially from 23 per cent to over 50 per cent in the next 10 years. And that is how we will actualize the vision of President Buhari of lifting 100million Nigerians out of poverty in 10years.
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“The expectations we have in agriculture to take Nigeria to the promise land could only be achieved when our entrepreneurs take deliberate actions to invest in different value-chains.
“The potentials across crops, livestock, horticulture and fisheries sub-sectors are enormous. Therefore, it is the ingenuity of entrepreneurs like some of you here that would add value to our produce and guarantee the revenue generation potentials of the sector.”
He also encouraged entrepreneurs in the sector on sharing their success stories which would serve as motivation to young people to come into the sector and build a successful career.
“It is the involvement of entrepreneurs like you that would provide innovative solutions to the immense challenges in the sector”, he said.
However, the Minister also expressed optimism that contribution from the agricultural sector will increase appreciably from the current 23 per cent to over 50 per cent based on the effort put in by agropreneurs in the next 10 years.
“With concerted effort of Agro-preneurs, I am very optimistic that the contribution of agriculture to the Nigerian economy will increase exponentially from 23 per cent to over 50 per cent in the next 10 years. And that is how we will actualize the vision of President Buhari of lifting 100million Nigerians out of poverty in 10years”, he stated.
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