Agric ministry plans strategic partnership with China

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has stated its readiness to partner with the Chinese government in the area of agriculture development.

Sonny Echono, permanent secretary, FMARD, disclosed this recently while receiving Gu Xiaojie, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

Echono thanked the Chinese government for their past support, saying the development model of China best suited Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda to commercial agriculture.

The permanent secretary explained that Nigeria is working to improve her milling capacity in rice and cassava, to reduce the current difference in demand and supply.

Echono further stated that Nigeria needed support in the establishment of ranches, poultry and textile industry. He therefore invited Chinese investors to come and invest in these sub-sectors. The permanent secretary identified infrastructural development as another area the Chinese investors should come and invest, saying Nigeria is working hard towards increasing productivity, hence the need to develop the Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZs).

He disclosed that partnership discussion is on-going with some research institutions in China in the area of technology. Echono said China has a huge market for cassava chips,  hence the need to support Nigeria’s cassava production, adding that Nigeria is the world lead producer of cassava.

According to him, other opportunities for investment include aquaculture, fishery production and wheat production so as to be able to meet the demands of the local millers. The permanent secretary also requested for support in capacity building, egg powder production and transfer of technology, while also adding the need to manufacture simple technological tools that are reliable to make farming less labourious.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie expressed the readiness of the Chinese government to work closely with the government of Nigeria to explore areas of          cooperation since both have big population and markets.

Xiaojie suggested the creation of platforms for commercial farmers and technological companies to meet so as to address their individual needs. He pledged the Chinese government’s readiness to co-operate with Nigeria in the area of Technology, economy and anti-corruption.