Former Delta State Commis

sioner for Lands and Survey, Mr Raymos Guanah,   has called on the Federal Government to increase its funding of agriculture to ensure food security in the country.

Guanah told newsmen in Asaba that investing more in agriculture and provision of incentives for small and medium-scale farmers would encourage youths to go into farming rather than for ‘’white-collar-jobs’’.

He said that Nigeria, as a country, had rich arable land lying fallow in different parts of the country, yet there was hunger in the country and more funds spent on importation of food to the country.

The former commissioner said, “We have very rich soil in Nigeria, the problem is people cannot cultivate them because either they don’t have the means to do it or they feel that they may not make profit from it.

“By this I mean that some of them would want to go into large-scale farming, but may not have the funds to cultivate the size of land that would be suitable for such purpose.

“Again some of them get discouraged because of food importation, because through food importation, the market is flooded with food items and then you have a glut, and at the end of the day they don’t make profit.

“But if these things are checked, the youths and especially the unemployed graduates would be encouraged to go into farming.”

Guanah, who is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Raymos Guanah Farms, Okpe-Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta, said that even in developed countries farming was encouraged.

He explained that most European countries did not have better land than Nigeria, but they farm to feed their countries and at the same time had enough to export thereby generating revenue for their countries.

He said that with Federal Government’s investment in large-scale farming, the level of unemployment and hunger in the land would be reduced, while more revenue would accrue to the country.

Guanah told newsmen that presently his farms had 56 workers, mostly graduates and women and that the farm, which is on a 51 hectares, was involved in the production of pineapples, and yams.

Other items produced in the farm are plantain, cassava, cucumber, carrot, pumpkin, Okro, pepper and tomatoes.

He explained that the essence of his veering from politics to farming was to provide food and jobs for the people.

The former commissioner said that he also wanted to give back to the society what it had given to him, especially now that the clamour for diversification of the economy from oil was high.

He explained that nobody had to study or be an agriculturist to practice or contribute his or her quota towards sustainable food production and food security.

He appealed to both the Federal Government and other relevant authorities to put in place policies and measures that would help reduce unemployment and poverty in the country.