Food Analyst and Risk Management professional, Ogechi Jude-Emezuom has called on stakeholders to review the backward integration policy as the best way to improve food production in the country.
Jude-Emezuom, who currently functions as head, Food and Beverage unit of the Lagos Business School(LBS), stated that, despite Nigeria’s capacity to be self-sufficient in food production, the country is still import dependent.
“My call for us as a nation is to review our backward Integration policies and see what we can do to improve the agricultural sector and be less dependent on food importation. Nigeria is blessed with several agricultural resources and until we do the needful, hunger will be in view,” she said.
Further more, Jude-Emezuom stated that, backward integration such as working closely with the sources of inputs used in production can help to improve food production in Nigeria.
“Backward Integration can help improve quality control and production efficiency, drive down cost of inputs by increasing competition, and it can reduce import cost while also providing a better understanding of local market dynamics,” she added.
The quality management expert explained further that food production and distribution organiSations have been getting certain steps wrong in their process by not recognising the important role of sustainability and long-term strategies.
She pointed out that, by employing inadequate regulations and inefficient food production process, and by failing to respond to the growing demand for nutritional and sustainable sourced food, they are far from achieving the sustainable development goal of good health and wellbeing.
Jude-Emezuom, therefore, canvassed for quality management system saying it will help Nigeria’s food production and distribution.
To her, “if we embrace quality management, it will no doubt improve quality control management, increase efficiency of production and distribution,enhance traceability of production, increase visibility and transparency systems, and as well reduce cost of food production and distribution.”
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