The Crop Science Society of Nigeria (CSSN) has urged the federal government to increase investments in agricultural production to solve the country’s worsening food crisis. It notes that food importation cannot resolve the current food scarcity.
CSSN President Professor Mike Uguru made the call during the 9th National Conference at the Faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University Kano(BUK).
He explained that starvation and malnutrition are becoming visible in the country due to the acute food shortage and soaring prices, hence the need to increase crop and animal production locally and nationally.
He stressed that if the government could pay attention to it, the problems of poverty, youth restiveness, and unemployment would be tackled.
“Many of the industries in Nigeria are crop-based. Their abysmal failure to perform in recent years is mainly due to a lack of raw materials (farm produce).”
A clear example is the sudden rise in prices of poultry products due to inadequate production of maise.
“It’s sad and embarrassing that Nigeria, with huge human capital and land resources, is unable to produce maise to feed the local industry,” he lamented.
However, he called on the government to pay attention to the sector that was the mainstay of the economy in the 1960s. He suggested redirecting policies in favour of crop agriculture and establishing the Nigeria Institute of Crop Science and Food Production to coordinate the necessary measures for increased and sustained crop protection.
In his keynote address, Professor of Agronomy and Vice-chancellor of Capital City University, Kano, Prof. Yusuf Daraja, lamented how the country loses a large quantity of farm produce to post-harvest due to bad roads, inadequate storage, and poor processing facilities, among other things.
He highlighted the need for the government to increase investment in agricultural innovations, research, developing crop varieties, improving rural roads, and strengthening extension services by expanding to more farmers, particularly in rural areas.
In his welcoming address, BUK’s VC, Prof. Sagir Abbas, described the conference theme, ‘Transforming Crop Production in the Face of Insecurity and Economic Crisis: Challenges and Prospect’, as apt, noting that it will stimulate innovative solutions to improve food security, nutrition, and sustainable agricultural practices in Nigeria.
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