New Agric Policy to launch Nigeria back on path of inclusive growth, says Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that Nigeria’s new agricultural policy termed the “Green Alternative” is geared towards restoration of the economy on the path of inclusive growth, attracting more youths into agribusiness, and cracking down huge import bill of the federal government.

Osinbajo made the disclosure while he launched the Agriculture Promotion Policy of the present administration  termed the “Green Alternative”-The Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016-2020, which he said would set the economy on the path of inclusive growth and create jobs opportunities for the teeming population.

The Vice President at the official launch on Monday in Abuja said, “The Present administration  came in and met an economy essentially in melt down, and we realize that we have to take immediate decision in the short, and immediate terms, in order to repair the huge damage done, especially by dependent on oil,but worse in not investing in infrastructure in the diversification of our economy or even building our reserve, when oil sold at over a $100 a barrel ”

According to the Vice President, “One of the most critical components of that plan,is to position agriculture as  the arrow heads for our economic recovery efforts. There is no question at all that if we get agriculture right,we will get our economy right, and we are determined to do that”

Notably,the Road-map  launched  identified  domestic food requirements, which is a productivity challenge driven by input system and farming model, which is highly inefficient, in addition to  inadequate seeds fertilizer,crop rotation among others.

Other constraints to be addressed by the policy  include: the inability to export, which is often  characterised  by inefficient system, poor knowledge of  target markets, weak inspectorate  systems, poor extension services and  poor coordination among relevant agencies.

The policy also  touches on land use, fertilizer types, appropriate technologies, Science and Technologies, and Telecommunications, which is being used in monitoring tractors in mechanised agriculture.

To address this, the Vice President said, “The Green alternative present in clarity steps to address the constraint in the agricultural sector by working collaboratively with the private sector. Also,Our investment programme is designed to allow investment inflow into the agricultural sector by addressing these grey areas”

Speaking further, the vice President informed that, “For instance, as part of the 500 000 thousand teachers we would be engaging, a 100 000 of them will be trained in  agricultural extension services. Our home grown school feeding programme is described as homegrown because every state is expected to provide for its own school feeding through the farm produce from the state”

In his own submission, Audu Ogbeh, said during the launch that the policy was launched building on the foundation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda,(ATA),to avert policy somersault which has been the bane of many previous government policies.

We called it the Green alternative because for over many years of the country prayers, we did not find alternative to the oil and Gas. We spent $22 billion on food importation: Rice, milk, Sugar, Tomato Paste, cookies and biscuits even toothpicks. Agriculture was relegated to that path of the society that has neither voice, nor capacity to be seen “Ogbeh noted.

The farmers have been feeding us and subsidising our food. The average age of the farmer  is 65,and he is ageing. In 34 years, we would be 450 -500 million in our population, which is 5 percent of humanity, with the estimated world population figure  put at 9 billion. Who is going to feed the population?”

The new policy is geared towards attracting our youths in agribusiness, and we have acquired 100 hectare of land for training of all our youths in various agricultural skills and building their capacity “Ogbeh informed

We have to feed or perish. We are lucky we have the soil. We have the water. The dams and the River basins would be made available for all year round agriculture.

Explaining further on the constraints of poor agric lending, the Minister said, “Credit for agriculture is a major constraint, and credit facility currently put 28-30 percent can survive unless the person is into crime. Apart from the interventions of NIRSAL and CBN today, we would have not made any headsway. We are making headsway in the North-West and the South East” Ogbeh explained.

While informing on the impacts of the soil mapping in improving crop yields, he said ,”The success is tied to the soil mapping of Nigerian soil which clearly states the type of fertilizer to be applied to a particular soil for increase in crop yield.

Prior to now, the farmers use NPK 15-15-15, which was even destructive of the soil and a times poison the food we eat. This often explains the low yield and the fact that we are not competitive in the global market and even the constraints in feeding ourselves”

It would be noted that agriculture contributes 23 percent to the GDP, and employs 70 percent of the population, and the oil sector could not employ up to 1 million Nigerians, it is only the agricultural sector that could do that.

Meanwhile, Sani Dangote while speaking on behalf of the organised Private sector, urged the federal government to allow the farmers take ownership of the policy which he said would address policy inconsistency that often confronts previous policies of the government, mostly in the agricultural sector.

Also, Tahir Monguno, the Chairman House Committee on the agricultural sector assured that the Legislature will work collaboratively with the Ministry of agriculture to legalise the policy framework in order to address worrisome issues of policy somersault.