From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has said that Nigerians need to treat agriculture as real business to unlock the huge potentials of the nation’s agricultural country.
Akinwumi, who stated this at the 1st convocation ceremony of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara state, noted that “in spite of the country’s rank as the fastest growing economies the achievement had remain exclusive as millions feels alienated about the growth numbers.”
The Minister said the country’s GDP annual growth rate was on the averaged of 6.21 per cent, since 2005 till 2014, above the average for the rest of Africa, stressing that there are still exists a huge paradox.
He said: “today, Nigeria is the fourth fastest growing economy in the world, and we are now the largest economy in Africa.”
“The growth in Nigeria, as in most of the countries in African is not inclusive, Nigeria’s rural economies harbour the greatest share of those being left behind or excluded
“There is no doubt in my mind, therefore, that we need a new growth model that stimulates share posterity, creates job for millions of our rural youth and unlock the huge potentials of lands,” he said.
“No agricultural sector can develop unless it gets its farm input supply system working. The role of the government would be to provide an enabling environment for the private sector to be the engine of the growth of the agriculture sector,” Adesina said.
He added that part of the government policies thrust in this direction was the launching of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda by President Goodluck Jonathan to make the country self-reliance.
