Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said Nigeria cannot make progress in agriculture unless it (agriculture) is driven at the highest political level.
Chief Obasanjo made the statement at the signing of a tripartite implementation agreement in the establishment of an integrated rice farm in Taraba State.
Commenting on the establishment of rice farm in Taraba State, Chief Obasanjo said “unless we do things like this, the situation we find ourselves will go from bad to worst.”
He regretted that in 2004, 54 per cent of Nigerians were regarded as living below poverty level, while in 2007, it was reduced to 38/39 per cent, but last year, it increased to 71 per cent.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to speed up actions, in order to reduce this regrettable situation.
In his speech, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, expressed delight over the agreement signed between Dominion Farm and Taraba State government on rice production.
He said with the agreement, rice would be produced on 30,000 hectares of land.
Dr Adesina regretted that Nigeria currently imported 2.1 million metric tonnes of rice annually, adding that by 2050, Nigeria’s consumption of rice would have risen from five million metric tonnes per year to 35 million metric tonnes, unless we grew our rice.
The minister also added that the event was in line with the Federal Government’s agricultural transformation agenda, to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production in four years.
In his remark, the Taraba State governor, Alhaji Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, expressed happiness over the agreement and pledged the support of the state to ensure that the project was a success.
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