Utomi hails agric minister on expo collaboration

Pat Utomi, former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), has lauded Adewunmi Adesina, minister of agriculture and rural development, over the recently concluded agricultural conference and exhibition, AGRIKEXPO 2013.

He described the event as one that can consolidate on the current ongoing agricultural revolution in the country.

According to him, the Agrikexpo has done well to bring together stakeholders, particularly value-chain services providers, banks, research institutes, including value-added manufacturers.

To him, value addition has become a business development strategy, hailing the agric minister for his collaboration.

Sam Ohuabunwa, chairman, 151 Products Limited, the organisers of the AGRIKEXPO this year in collaboration with the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Foodbext, described the second edition of Agrikexpo Pan-West African exhibition as the largest food and beverage show in the country.

Agrikexpo is a platform that brings together farmers, processors, distributors, research institutes, donor agencies, exporters, big-time agric raw materials buyers to meet for mutual benefits. The forum has also been providing a platform for stakeholders in the sector to meet and forge ways for mutual benefits and give opportunity for networking and integration of business ideas. Above all, it is set out to put Nigeria on the world map as a hot-spot for agric as pure business.

In his opening speech, Ohuabunwa said data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that bureaucracy and corruption had reduced in the nation’s agric sector, as farmers have better experience in getting needed materials to improve their yields.

Afzal Qadri, executive director, West, Federal Ministry of Agric, who represented Adewunmi Adesina, minister of agric, said the agric sector was in a new era, as the ministry had been able to spell out the businesses in the agric value chain to reduce the nation’s dependence on food imports.

He also said the current processes have led to 20 million metric tons of food being stored in the national strategic reserves and creation of 3 million jobs.