Budding farmer and Chairperson of Auzi Integrated Services, Ngozi Zika Olumba has called for the adoption of integrated farming system as a way of improving food production in the country.
Speaking during a media interactive forum organise by Silverbird Communications in Port Harcourt, Mrs Olumba opined that integrated farming entails using organic products and reducing waste in agriculture production.
In her words, “integrated farming is organic in nature and does not entail using artificial fertilizer. Every thing is used in the farm to produce food and its healthy, and economical.
She explained that in her farm animal droppings and dungs are used as fertilizer, while other wastes are used as composts for vegetable production.
The Auzi Intergrated Services boss, opined that, “organic products are more in demand than other products in the market because people believe that its healthy”.
On her view over using agriculture to empower Niger Delta youths, Olumba stressed the need for attitudinal change, as she frowned at the apathy displayed by youths from the region towards agriculture.
“Youths in the Niger Delta want ready made jobs and white collar jobs, but unfortunately there are no jobs. I will advise them to start small if they want to go into agriculture”, she suggested.
She observed that Niger Delta has arable lands and conducive weather for farming, while decrying the paucity of land and access to loan as major challenge.
Apart from the problem of accessing land, the agriculture advocate also identified labour as another setback, reasoning that poor mechanised farming is not profitable since more hands need to be engaged in farming.
She enjoined government and oil multinationals to provide support to young farmers through provision of land, machines to aid large-scale production of food in the country.