Agricultural skills will boost economy-Udoma

Minister of Budget and National Planning Udoma Udo Udoma has urged beneficiaries of the ongoing Technical Training on Agricultural Modernisation to acquire the necessary skills to boost the country’s economy.

The minister made the call on Tuesday at the China-Nigeria Agricultural Modernisation Cooperation Forum, organised by the Chinese Government in Abuja.

Udoma, who was represented by Mr Nse Enobong, a director at the ministry, noted that the Chinese government had been supportive of Nigeria’s agricultural development efforts over the years.

“Nigeria government signed an exchange of notes for the Agricultural Demonstration Centre project, which is intended to modernise agricultural operations in the country.

“I am aware that a technical training on agricultural modernisation, involving 40 Nigerians, is ongoing. This forum is also part of China’s support to our development efforts.

“We are happy to note that Chinese enterprises are willing, as promised by the Chinese Government in 2015, to increase their import of Nigerian products like seed, cocoa, natural rubber, cashew, cassava as well as oil and gas.

“This is expected to increase the volume of trade between the two countries, which stands at 14.94 billion U.S. dollars, and address the trade imbalance,’’ he said.

The minister expressed optimism that the agricultural modernisation cooperation between Nigeria and China would augment the Federal Government’s efforts to modernise the agricultural sector to boost productivity and enhance the growth of the sector.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said that the China’s agricultural growth was impressive and offered lessons for African countries.

Represented by Mr Muyiwa Azeez, a director in the ministry, Ogbeh said that China pulled over 400 million citizens out of poverty within 10 years, adding that the country achieved that feat by transforming its agricultural sector.

“We must sustain our current determination to transit from being a net importer of food, spending 12 billion dollars on importation of wheat, rice, fish and sugar, to becoming a self-sufficient country in food and agricultural production.

“We must not be a market for others; we must grow our own food. We must feed ourselves and create markets locally and internationally for our farmers,’’ he said.

Ogbeh said that Nigeria would continue to benefit from the advanced technology of China, particularly in the field of agriculture, to spur the modernisation and accelerated growth of its agricultural sector.

In an address of welcome, Mrs Yewande Sadiku, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), said that China had been a major source for foreign direct investments in Nigeria.

Represented by Mr Shettima Barma, a Deputy Director in NIPC, Sadiku said: “Agriculture is very important in our efforts to diversify the country’s economy.

“It is not just agriculture but those sub-sectors that used to consume huge foreign exchange to import produce like rice, wheat and so on,’’ she said.

Sadiku said that NIPC would continue to maintain a strong investor support system to help investors to navigate through regulatory and administrative processes in the country.

She, however, said that investors should feel free to inform the commission of any challenges they were facing for possible intervention.

 

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