Prof. Paul Marley, Managing Director, Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority, has urged the Federal Government to adopt integrated approach in  ensuring food security in the country.

He told newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja that achieving food security involved the integration of various processes.

Marley said that food security could be achieved by the provision of basic infrastructure to farmers.

He said the provision of improved seedlings and fertilisers were essential to increasing farmers output, and urged government to provide farmers with modern equipment to encourage them to engage in mechanised farming.

“You cannot expect people to go to school and come back and hold hoes and cutlass to farm; they will shy away from that kind of rudimentary agriculture.

 “If we are able to mechanise our agricultural system, it will serve as impetus for the young ones to be interested in farming,” he said.

Marley also stressed the importance of research into post production techniques and improvement in post production technologies.

He noted with regret that even the small quantity of food produced by local farmers were not properly preserved and stored for local consumption and export.

“We need harvest and post harvest technologies that will make us store food for a period of time,” he added.

Marley identified the lack of finance as another important factor militating against the achievement of food security in Nigeria.

He stressed the need for government to provide finance, in form of loans or grants to local farmers to enable them to increase food production.

 “If government can integrate all these processes, Nigeria will not only achieve food security, but export farm products,” he said.

In a related development, Marley has promised to use his wealth of experience to boost food production in the catchment areas of Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority (UNRBDA).

He is one of the newly appointed Managing Directors of the 12 River Basin Authorities in the country.