NABG to become sector’s leading voice
The newly established Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) is to become the country’s strongest voice for the agriculture industry domestically and internationally going forward. According to Emmanuel Ijewere, chairman, Best Foods, an executive member of NABG at the strategic meeting held weekend at the Multi Trex Integrated Foods plc complex, the group recognises that there are over 45 million people involved in farming and all other activities along the value chains but not all the 45 million people can be brought together at once, so this small group – NABG has been set up to drive all Nigeria’s agricultural activities within and outside the country towards profitability.
He explains further, “For instance, there are lot of financial institutions in Nigeria but the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) meets with the Bankers’ Committee which consists of about 15 people to deliberate on decisions concerning the industry.
‘’We also recognise that we cannot run agribusiness without government involvement, likewise we cannot run agribusiness without private sector involvement, that is the reason this group has been brought together.”
He then states that all the different associations within the sector would be able to benefit from the group’s activities because it would tackle completely the scenario whereby people see agriculture simply as farming and farming as the brother of poverty, which has made the industry repulsive to youths.
He says: “Now the whole idea is being revolutionised. The reason farmers are poor and people are running away is because it has not been profitable, but we can make it profitable therefore we need to change the concept of the value chain of a crop from the seed to the table. This government has come up with this new idea of agribusiness and it is fantastic, it shows that agriculture is not just farming, even the person tilling the ground, or transporting the produce, or preserving it or packing it, even the woman selling produce in the market are all part of the value chain.”
He notes that all these businesses along the value chain can become very profitable and sustainable and NABG’s mandate would be to ensure that.
Sani Dangote, director, Dansa Holdings Limited and NABG’s interim chairman, also at this strategic meeting buttresses the fact that the group is going to encompass every agricultural activities even to the smallest farmer and every other sector involved with agribusiness.
He says “it will be one big voice where every activity of agriculture can be channelled through and the function is to engage the private sector, every level of government, NGOs and international organisations to enhance agriculture in Nigeria, so the small, individual farmers will benefit from this.
“We would be transparent and very clear in our objectives. We are also going to base our decisions on investment activities and not on religious or ethnic basis.”
He says no matter people’s location in the value chain or their involvement, whether farming, processing of food, consultancy, finance, agricultural inputs production or supply, they can benefit from NABG, adding that the group would be engaging the government on policies that would encourage and boost agricultural activities in the country.
Akin Sawyer, executive secretary of the Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria, also a member of NABG, says: “In the very near future we want to be recognised globally and locally as the voice of agribusiness emanating from Nigeria. The group is a very eminent group of leaders in agribusiness in Nigeria from the private sector. Next step is to structure and segment ourselves in a way that we can effectively serve the interest of stakeholders in agribusiness in the country.”
The group is different from the other numerous bodies representing stakeholders in agriculture because leaders of leading private sector companies are making a voluntary decision to revolutionise the agric industry in Nigeria with government endorsement, he says.
“The minister of agriculture has been involved in endorsing this. It is a non-partisan, non-ethnic, non-religious, non-tribal, non-profit organisation that seeks to create value and generate profit for its members,” he says further.
He highlights some of the benefits that members or stakeholders even to the smallest of farmers would be enjoying to include access to international markets.
“We would be able to open other markets for our members in the United States of America, Europe and other parts of Africa by linking them up with people who would buy their produce. We want to let Nigerian farmers and operators in the value chain know that we understand their difficulties or challenges whether it is power, water, multiple taxation, inputs, lack of access to infrastructure and we would be able to help them overcome these challenges,” he says.
OLUYINKA ALAWODE