Making Nigeria’s Agriculture More Viable

A most fundamental reform in the nation’s agricultural sector is currently underway, courtesy of the Agriculture Transformation Action Plan (ATAP), unfolded recently in Abuja by the Federal Government.

Precisely on September 5, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who also doubles as the Chairperson of the National Economic Management Team (EMT), unfolded the new roadmap for the sector.

Perceptive observers say that the initiate is indeed laudable as it holds the ace in efforts to achieve food security for the nation.

In the main, ATAP seeks to transform the agricultural sector by harnessing the hitherto untapped and abundant potentials in the sector. It draws from the fine points of the erstwhile programme — Green Revolution, implemented in the defunct military regime between 1975 and 1999.

The programme further focuses on the development of key areas of the agricultural sector which had comparative advantage, value-chain development and cluster farming settlements.

Okonjo-Iweala, said that the programme’s implementation would inject an estimated N300 additional income into the hands of Nigerian farmers and another N350 billion into the economy through rice sufficiency.

She expressed optimism that ATAP would create about three-and-half million jobs in agriculture in the next four years through a massive focus on the production of five major crops in which Nigeria has a comparative advantage, namely rice, cassava, sorghum, cocoa and cotton.

Analysts have expressed the viewpoint that though the nation depended largely on proceeds from petroleum sector to ensure its economic survival, the country is still a predominantly agricultural society.

Nigeria, besides being blessed with abundant natural endowments and arable lands has about 70 per cent of its population engaged in farming activities all-year round.

However, the oil boom years of the 1970s engendered the drastic decline in agriculture as all interests shifted to crude oil exploration, which indeed yielded enormous revenue for the nation.

Notwithstanding the earnings from crude oil, agriculture continued to play a prominent role in the socio-economic development of the country.

Though practiced at subsistence level, it still managed to meet the staple food requirement of the nation’s population of over 140 million.

Available statistics indicates that the agricultural sector on its own provides employment to about 70 per cent of the nation’s active labour force, while also contributing over 40 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Moreover, the agricultural sector, along with other non-oil revenue earners has accounted for about 38 per cent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, second only to crude oil.

Agricultural economists, nonetheless, express the viewpoint that despite the huge potential of the sector, it has remained largely untapped, thus undermining the nation’s efforts at achieving self-sufficiency in food production.

Okonjo-Iweala said that ATAP is aimed at revolutionizing agriculture so that it could be seen as a business with emphasis on partnership, investment and accountability and not just as a passive development issue.

“To drive the programme, the government will hands-off the procurement, distribution and sale of fertilizers,” she said.

She expatiated that the drastic measure would ensure that more than 90 per cent of farmers received fertilizers as against the present situation where only 11 per cent got the products.

On his part , the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said that a transformation of the nation’s agricultural sector had become imperative, just as he bemoaned Nigeria’s current agricultural value, which stood at N15 trillion.

He assured that in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda, the agricultural sector would be turned around to ensure the realisation of the potential value of N40 trillion.

Adesina said that ATAP would ensure a diversification of the agricultural sector, to attain a phenomenal increase of 20 million tones in the production of key staple foods.

“Under this programme, the government intends to move the current production of locally processed rice from 3.4 million tonnes to 7.4 million tonnes by 2015, with about one million jobs created in the sector,’’ Adesina said.

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, on his part also expressed optimism that the actualization of the ATAP would enable Nigeria to put an end to rice importation in the next four years.

He disclosed that the nation spent N350 billion annually on the importation of the staple food, whereas the country had over three million irrigable lands which could grow an estimated five million metric tonnes of rice annually.

Besides the expected boost in rice production under ATAP, it is also envisaged that Cassava production would increase from 34 million to 51 million metric tonnes within the corresponding period, while additional 1.2 million jobs would be created.

Under ATAP also, sorghum production is targeted to increase from the current annual production level of 9.3 million tonnes to 11.3 million tones, with the creation of an additional 150,000 jobs in the sector.

By experts’ analyses, this major agricultural thrust via ATAP would serve as a solid base for the expected regeneration of the nation’s economy in line with the objectives enunciated in Vision 20:2020 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

With the Federal Government’s new perception of agriculture as business-oriented and laden with partnership and investment components, some private organizations have braced themselves to keying into the programme.

One of such is the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN), a non-governmental organization, which plans to host the 2011 National Agricultural Show (NAS), where Nigeria’s agricultural potential will be showcased.

NAFN said that it was drawing from experiences gained at the 2006 UK Royal Show at Coventry, to attempt to stimulate further growth in the nation’s agricultural sector, in a partnership with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and the Nasarawa State Government.

“NAS will promote value addition to the nation’s agricultural products and improve marketing outlets for profitable agricultural businesses. It will also attract global interest and investment for the development of Nigeria’s agricultural potential and opportunities,”

“It is aimed at promoting public-private-partnership (PPP) for the development of agricultural sector of the economy; encouraging and attracting young people to the farm,’’ a statement by the organization said.

This year’s edition of NAS — the fifth in series, will hold at the Agric Show Grounds at Km 28 on the Abuja-Keffi Road by Tundun Wada in Karu Local government Area of Nasarawa State between Oct. 12 and 16.

Activities lined up for the show include exhibitions on agricultural equipment, produce and products, seminar and symposia, where agricultural stakeholders will interact on new techniques and best practices in contemporary agriculture.

The participants, according to officials will include research institutes, farmers, agricultural processors, equipment manufacturers and marketers as well as agricultural financiers.

Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the prime mover of NAFN and Chairman of its Board of Trustees, said recently that the agricultural show would continue to prove its relevance in the development of the nation’s agriculture.

Dr Samuel Negedu, the National Coordinator of NAFN, who is also the Chairman of the NAS’ Venue/Exhibition sub-committee, stressed the imperative for participating states and local governments to showcase their potentials adequately.

“The show has consistently assisted local and foreign investors to know Nigeria’s immense agricultural potential as well as enable stakeholders to cross-fertilize ideas on trends in the agricultural sector”.

Negedu said that the scope of participation at the show has been expanded to include students in agricultural faculties of some tertiary institutions as part of efforts to carry along future actors in the nation’s agricultural sector.

The citizens, no doubt, look forward to the day when the lost glory of agriculture in the nation’s economy will be restored. The roadmap provided by ATAP, as well as the emerging private sector partnership in the sector, indeed heighten such optimism.

Archibong Asuquo,  writes for NAN.

Archibong Asuquo,