ABUJA: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, Hon. Linus Abaa Okorie has expressed concern over the lack of sustainable food policy in Nigeria.
He said the policy would have ensured food sufficiency and by extension trigger employment opportunities as well as poverty eradication in Nigeria.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Committee’s interactive session with the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Abuja, he said despite efforts by previous administration at redeeming Nigeria’s economy through agriculture, it was worrisome that the nation still spent a capital flight of over N1.3 trillion annually against its inherent potentials.
“I want to point out the precarious and unsustainable state of our current food policy that is anchored on an annual food import of more than N1.3 trillion and the incontrovertible potentials of Nigeria’s agriculture”, he noted.
Linus added that such policies that had defied all known approach to robust agriculture since the 80s despite the nation’s critical population was as a result of a wholesome neglect of research, education and extension system, which was a key driver of the sector.
He regretted that they were being strangulated through policy instability, poor funding, lack of political will as well as obsolete legal framework.
The Chairman was emphatic that crises rocking Cocoa Research Institute, Ibadan was one of those sabotages that has occasioned loss of resources in the last one else month, while promising that the Committee would wade into the crises.
“Crises at the Cocoa Research Institute, Ibadan has led to the forced closure of the Institute for over a month now with attendant loses of resources, confidence and capacity”, he emphasised.
Speaking further, he called on the Minister to revive the Agricultural Development Programme so as to drive the National agricultural extension system that would eventually capture farmers directly, noting that extension services was on the concurrent list.
Responding, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe reiterated the commitment of his Ministry in collaborating with the Committee in the course of their oversight functions, stressing that activities of agricultural institutions must be properly superintended for maximum output.
He lamented that the nation’s agricultural economy had been killed as a result of illegal importation of rice, frozen foods and other food items through Seme and Cameron borders, a situation he said had destroyed the nation’s capacity of feeding over 60,000,000 Africans.
“Important of rice and frozen foods illegally through Seme and Cameron borders is a threat to our economy and it has killed our local rice production which was expected to feed other 60,000,000 Africans”, Ogbe said.
