The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Wednesday enjoined Nigerians, particularly the elites, to engage in agriculture to boost food production.
The minister made this call while speaking at the Sectoral Debate on strategies for diversification of the Nigerian economy organised by the House of Representatives.
Ogbeh said there was need for the country to adhere to the 10 per cent budgetary allocation to agriculture in line with Maputo Declaration.
“If Agriculture is to be restored to its days of glory in Nigeria, people from all strata of the society including the elite must be involved in line with the Maputo Declaration,” the minister said.
According to Ogbeh, if the policies being enunciated by the Ministry of Agriculture was anything to go by then in the next two years the GDP contribution from agriculture would rise to 20 per cent.
He, however, pointed out that since agriculture was on the concurrent list, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture limits its role to policy formulation, implementation and supervision rather than direct involvement in farm establishment.
He said that the ministry was committed toward intervention in the areas of sorghum, soyabean, wheat, fish and poultry, which has placed the products on potential export-list.
On export standardisation, the minister said the ministry was consulting with experts and other stakeholders on the possibility of reviving marketing boards and commodity boards as means of standardising produce export.
Ogbeh appealed to the legislature for improved budgetary allocations to the agricultural sector in subsequent budgets.
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