Osifo Agharese, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State. He is also a consultant-agricultural finance and marketing practitioner to Bank of Agriculture and Central Bank of Nigeria. In this interview with Churchill Okoro, call for the reintroduction of commodity boards system to revive Nigeria’s agriculture post COVID-19.
Will the continuous obstruction in the food supply chain impact agric productivity?
The immediate effect of COVID-19 on the agricultural sector in Nigeria is a significant reduction in the food supply chain system across arable crops and the livestock enterprises. As a practitioner in crops and livestock production, I can see the resemblance of the realisation of the Robert Malthus theory of population growth in geometric progression while foods production is at arithmetic progression. There is a palpable fear that the pandemic has dealt a devastating impact on the agricultural sector of the Nigerian Economy.
Amid drop in oil demand and dwindling prices, do you think the government can take advantage of this opportunity to diversify the economy through agriculture?
Nigeria is a mono-product economy relying on crude oil to fund its annual budgets. With the drop in oil prices, the time is right to diversify to agriculture. Our country has a comparative advantage in the production of several crops and livestock. We are the largest producer of Yam and Cassava in the world. The country has a favourable climate and adequate manpower to excel in the export of various agricultural products. There was a time when Nigeria was a leading exporter of oil palm, cocoa, groundnut, rubber, coffee, castor, animal hides and skins to other countries in the world.
How can Nigeria revive its agricultural sector?
We can regain the lost glory by recognising the fact that agriculture is a business not just a way of life. The Federal Government should revisit the commodity board system. The commodity board was established by the government to encourage the development of cash crops such as rubber with headquarters in Benin City, cocoa with headquarters in Ibadan, groundnut with headquarters in Kano. The boards were able to guarantee minimum price for the commodities. The result was that the farmers were encouraged to produce high quality farm produce which met international quality specifications. Also, the boards went into agro-industrial processing thereby adding value to the commodity. For example, the rubber boots were produced from the latex which the farmers tapped out of the rubber trees and later processed into lumps, crepes and subsequently rubber products such as rain boots and elastic band.
Eventually when government scrapped the boards, agricultural processing started moving in reverse order just like the conversion of warehouses to worship places. The board system is an avenue for Nigeria to earn more foreign exchange as it was in those days and there was actually no reason for scrapping it. Reintroducing these boards will help to revive the agricultural sector; it will make Nigerians to consume what they produce rather than consuming imported items because these boards will ensure standard quality. In addition, there will be excess for export. The commodity boards I am suggesting will be a hybrid between government, commercial sector, farmers and stakeholders. The presidential directive for the implementation of the Oronsaye Committee Report White Paper is a window of opportunity to provide a panacea to the post COVID-19 economy.
