Federal Government To Focus On Agribusiness

The National Programme Coordinator, Value Chain Development Programme, Dr. Aimen Onojah, has said the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari will make agribusiness the focus of its agricultural policy.

He noted that agriculture was essential for national development, industrialisation, mass employment generation and foreign exchange earnings as well as national food security.

He said Buhari would make agriculture attractive by creating platforms and activating mechanisms that would lead to increased patronage of agricultural produce.

Onojah, who was represented by an officer of VCDP, Mr. Esinulo Kennedy, spoke on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the marketing and processing demonstration training at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

He said, “This is a Federal Government project that involved six states. These states are; Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun and Taraba. It was packaged to reduce poverty among Nigerians and to stimulate the much-needed economic growth of Nigeria.

“It is a pity that most projects in Nigeria are not sustained but this will be held on a sustainable basis. It was packaged to favour the nation’s agricultural policy… with zeal for marketability. What is the value of produce without a market for it?”