In a bid to boost farmers productivity and ensure Nigeria attain self-sufficiency in food production, Premier Agribusiness Academy has debut into the Nigerian agricultural sector.
In a chat with journalists during the unveiling, Francis Toromade, director general, Premier Agribusiness Academy said that to make agribusinesses profitable farmers must acquire cognitive skills and essential knowledge needed to boost production.
Toromade stated that farmers need to build their human capital development, marketing and sale skills as well as logistics and supply chain management through continuous training and learning process.
He applauded the Federal Government for its food self-sufficiency initiative and move towards diversifying the economy through agriculture, saying that no nation can survive without feeding itself.
He however noted that, for Nigeria to realize this vision to be realised there must be significant increase in local food production cutting across livestock, crop and aquaculture.
According to him, agriculture has the ability to contribute significantly to the overall development of the nation’s economy if effectively and efficiently managed.
He explained that, there is a huge difference between agriculture and agribusiness while stressing that, what makes agriculture a business is its ability to generate profit.
He further said that, until farmers begin to see agriculture as a business venture and invest in acquiring the managerial knowledge needed to boost production and ensure profitability, self-sufficiency in food production for Nigeria may remain a mirage.
“The key is agribusiness. It is not enough to know the technical aspect of agriculture or study agriculture in school. To become successful and profitable in agriculture, there is need for farmers to acquire knowledge of the business side of agriculture which is what Premier Agribusiness Academy offers,” Toromade said.
“All over the world, people are no longer talking about agriculture; the stress is on agribusiness because that is where profit lies,” he further said.
“For farmers to be profitable, they need to acquire knowledge of strategies to market their products effectively manage their human, capital and material resources. All these competences are what the academy offers in its courses.
According to him, the vision of Premier Agribusiness Academy is to transfer well researched and innovative competences required for sustainable investments in non-allied industries of the agricultural sector.
Toromade who is also the business development consultant for Rome Business School and a facilitator in Lagos Business School revealed that, the institution offers short executive courses, poultry management courses, aquaculture management and consultancy services to farmers.
He urged farmers to take advantage of the academy’s forthcoming training on “Creative Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills for Decision Making” coming up on the 5th of Oct, 2019 at Sheraton Hotels and Suites, Ikeja, Lagos as an opportunity to further increase their knowledge in agribusiness management.
He revealed that, the academy is willing to collaborate with major players in the agribusiness value chain both locally and internationally.
Josephine Okojie
