Food Production: Nigeria Can Leverage On Growing Population – Ogbeh

President, Dangote Group of Company, Alhaji Aliko Dangote (left), with Governor Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa State, at the inauguration of Dangote rice out-growers farm in Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa State, recently.

The Minister of Agricul
ture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh has said that the country could put the growing population into good use by increasing local production of food crops.
In a recent release obtained by The Tide in Port Harcourt the minister posited that Nigeria’s population which would grow up to 200 million people by the year 2020 could be an advantage for food production if the country could hasten to lift the agricultural sector to the level of China, India and other nations of the western world.
The minister made these known when he received in audience a delegation from the Kingdom of the Netherlands led by its Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr John Groffen in his office.
He maintained that the  there was an urgent need for the country to grow more food crops in order to meet the demands of her growing population and sought for more support from the international community towards the sustainable development of the sector.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s agricultural sector would require internal support in its programmes and initiatives such as the cattle breeding improvement, climate change, standardization and certification of food products, seed development and improvement and capacity building among others.
Earlier the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria Mr John Groffen who led the delegation said the purpose of their visit was to explore areas of collaboration with the ministry, describing the challenges facing the nation’s agricultural sector as enormous.
The Ambassador stated that the two countries which have in existence a business relationship would now enjoy symbiotic sustainable enterprises.
He assured that varied opportunities inherent in Nigeria’s agricultural sector would be showcased to potential investors in the Netherlands.

King Osila