Kano State Deputy Governor, Nasiru Gawuna, has said the state’s and Nigeria’s agricultural prowess is being consistently weakened by some age-long practices and the weak agricultural extension system in the country.
Gawuna, who said this at the opening of a 2-day retreat for journalists, farmers and extension workers in Kano State, also said Nigeria could leapfrog other countries to become a major supplier of agricultural products with timely deployment and adoption of biotechnology and getting the media to communicate it rightly.
Lamenting the low productivity of agriculture in the country and the attendant losses, he said, “Even though agriculture remains the largest sector of the Nigerian economy and employs two-thirds of the entire labour force, the production hurdles have significantly stifled the performance of the sector.
“Over the past 20 years, value-added per capita in agriculture has risen by less than one percent annually. According to FAO, Nigeria has lost 10 billion dollars in annual export opportunity from groundnut, palm oil, cocoa and cotton alone due to the continuous decline in the production of those commodities,” he said.
The deputy governor, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Agriculture, Hafiz Muhammad, noted that while other countries are getting almost 10 tons of maize per hectare, in Nigeria, the highest variety is giving about four tons; when we are getting 13 tons for cassava, others are getting 40 tons.
Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), said, “Northern Nigeria is one of the leading producers of agricultural products in the country, hence the just commercialised products of biotechnology (Cotton Bt. and PBR Cowpea) will go a long way in helping our farmers profit from their efforts. This means the media must be prepared to support them in their efforts to ensure a food secured Nigeria.”
He added that Nigeria made history as the first country in Africa and the world at large to develop and release a cowpea variety that is resistant to the notorious Pod Borer, which can destroy a whole beans farm and leaving the farmer helpless.
Dr Rose Gidado, Country Coordinator, Open Forum On Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), said that the training was aimed at providing accurate and up-to-date information about advances in the biotechnology sector since its adoption in Nigeria in order to ensure that the media are fully acquainted with facts and effectively disseminate same to the public.
The two-day training attracted journalists, scientists, agriculture extension workers, farmers and policymakers from all over the country.
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