Specialist x-rays Nigeria’s agric sector

In line with its global commitment to help small and large farmers overcome the challenge of low productivity, poor access to quality technology and inefficient use of resources and technology, Syngenta Nigeria Limited (SNL) has been working with retailers and farmers across multi states and crops. The company reports that so far, over 150,000 smallholder farmers have been trained using demonstrations plots. According to Iruansi Itoandon, campaign management specialist of Syngenta, increased yields, improved farmer`s agronomic and business skills were significantly achieved.

On issues of private sector investments in Nigeria, speaking on behalf of the company, Itoandon said, “The peaceful elections and the new President’s ambition to grow the agricultural sector is likely to encourage further investments in the sector to drive Nigeria towards self-sufficiency.

This will be achieved through direct investments in increasing primary production of crops, along the value chain in the collection, warehousing transportation and processing of commodities to finished products. We expect investments to double between 2015 and 2019.”

Speaking further, he said, “Growth in the agricultural sector will not come from investments in the sector only as the sector relies heavily on other areas to grow such as education, infrastructure, energy and finance. The educational sector needs reforming to encourage students to study practical agriculture and train them as entrepreneurs in the sector. The lack of structured and well-funded agric extension agents in the states is also a major hindrance towards growth in the agric sector.”

On policy issues, he said, “Nigeria currently has certain regulatory and policy hurdles that do not encourage investors in the agric sector. For example, Nigeria is not signed up to International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and does not have a strong Intellectual Property (IP) regime which discourages investors from bringing in their top-range Research and Development (R&D) products due to the fear of counterfeits and loss of IP. Furthermore, Nigerian government does not allow the sale of high-quality seeds that are not produced locally. Whilst the policy is designed to encourage local seed production, major international companies are staying away from doing so as seed production is a heavy investment and requires years to execute. As such, a half-way policy that encourages imported seeds for seeds that have been tested and proven in Nigeria while ensuring companies start local production of the said seeds within a few years of commercial launch will work very well. High-quality seeds enable significant value addition further along the value chain and this is being lost today, especially when processed products are imported.”

Syngenta is a leading agriculture company with presence in Nigeria with a mandate to help improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources.

OLUYINKA ALAWODE