Stakeholders in the agricultural sector want agro policies developed by Private Public Partnerships to be passed into law to prevent policy summersaults and boost investors’ confidence in the sector.
The stakeholders who spoke at the BusinessDay Agribusiness and Food Security Summit held in Lagos recently said the government must work with the private sector to agree on policies that will help drive growth in the sector and set up modalities on ways such policies can become an ago law that would be passed by the house of assembly.
“Until we are able to make a decision that our focus on agriculture as a country is for a long term and not because of the low price of crude oil, we might not be able to move our agric sector forward,” said Sani Dangote, president, Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) and vice president, Dangote Industries.
“Government must collaborate with the private sector to agree on the time line bound with the agricultural roadmap and monitor and evaluate the time frame deliverables. The outcome of the collaboration should provide a bill that will be passed by the national assembly which should be enacted as a law,” Dangote said.
He noted that the bill that would be enacted as an agro law will help prevent policy summersault which is disrupting investments in the sector and that investor’s confidence would be guaranteed.
On the panel session on how the country can increase production and achieve international standards, stakeholders said farmers must adopt mechanisation, farm all year round, have access to quality inputs like seeds and seedlings and practice optimum agronomy practice that guarantees standards.
“To improve our yield per hectare we must increase our fertiliser use, move away from rain-fed agriculture and have access to quality seeds and seedlings. Mechanisation is not negotiable if we will be self sufficient and boost productivity,” said Rotimi Fashola, senior partner, OIT Fash Consult.
Fashola stated that the country had made process but much more is still need to be done inorder to ensure that production of local stables are increased and standards are achieve.
Speaking on standards, Vincent Isegbe, coordinating director, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service said, “We do not have a national pesticides policy in place and this allows inflow of adulterated pesticides into our markets. Because these chemicals are adulterated farmers use them in large quantities.”
Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, said during his keynote address that the country cannot achieve its export potentials without relevant certifications like the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).
Josephine Okojie
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