In a bid to diversify the economy, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said the Federal
Government would not treat agriculture as a development programme but rather as serious
business.
Speaking on behalf of the President in Calabar, Alhaji Umar Farouk, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development said the government will be supporting the private sector agriculture chain.
Buhari said this while declaring open the 55th Annual General Meeting of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).
“Agriculture must cease from being treated as development programme; Agriculture must be treated as business.”
“Our goal will be to pursue government supported private sector agriculture value chain to make agriculture more productive, efficient and competitive.
“To provide enough food for domestic supply and create jobs through agriculture value chain,” Buhari said.
Buhari noted that Nigeria had the richest agriculture based mineral resources in Africa which means it does not need to import agricultural produce if the right investments are made.
Meanwhile, the new president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Nigeria’s former minister of agriculture, Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina has vowed to eradicate poverty in Africa through infrastructural development, job creation, regional integration and development of agriculture at the rural level.
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