Agriculture should no longer be seen through the prism of a culture but a business which will aid national development.
Agric Expert and former Ekiti State Commissioner, Mr Olabode Adetoye, disclosed this while speaking on the development of the Agric Sector and how it can be taken to the next level.
He said the typical farmer can now go to the bank to borrow money for food production and that farming is no longer a culture but a business that all irrespective of age should all get involved in.
He said the situation is not what it used to be describing the discovery of Oil as a curse on the development of Agriculture in Nigeria.
He pointed at the abandonment of Agriculture as the genesis of the nations’ current challenges asking why a nation with over 33 million hectares of arable land and a population of over 200 million people to complain about food production or food sufficiency.
He said recent government policies may help in resolving the issue of Economic Development.
Mr Adetoye added that Agriculture employs more than 37% of Nigerians.
He commended the Federal Government for the strides made in the Agriculture Sector for the last few years.
He however urged the Federal Government to start treating the Agriculture Sector as a business to ensure it contributes to National Development.
He added that more of the budget should be devoted to Agric and food production according to the Maputo declaration by African Union to enhance Agriculture and Food sufficiency on the continent.
