ABUJA- Addressing the problem of food scarcity in Nigeria will be the focus of the National Agricultural Show 2008.
Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN), has said.
He stated this at a courtesy visit to the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mrs. Oluremi Oyo.
Adamu, a former Governor of Nasarawa State, led a delegation of the foundation on the visit.
He said the current food scarcity that resulted to unprecedented high cost of foodstuffs was the price Nigeria has had to pay for neglecting the agricultural sector.
He recalled that the country had in the past occupied a pride of place as Africa ‘s largest producer of agricultural crops.
He said the aim of the show, now in its second edition, was to seek ways to restore the lost glory, especially as food security is the “arrowhead” of President Umar Yar’Adua’s 7-Point Agenda.
Adamu said the foundation was partnering with the governments at all levels and other stakeholders as well as the U.K. Royal Agricultural Show and the Commonwealth Agricultural Society, with a view to improving on the content and quality of the first edition held in 2007.
According to him, the purpose of the show is to exhibit the country’s agricultural produce, adding that it will feature farmers, research institutes, processors,marketers as well as consumers.
Adamu said manufacturers and local fabricators would also participate in the show, which would provide a platform for “perfecting the concept of public private partnership”.
He said a unique feature of the show would be seminars to address problems of food production and financing agricultural production.
“We will rub minds on why fiscal and monetary policies are put in place to address challenges in the agriculture sector, yet we don’t seem to be making a head way,”the former governor said.
He said it was noteworthy that activities of the show scheduled to hold as from Oct. 11 to Oct. 15 would dovetail into the World Food Day which comes up on Oct. 16.
Also speaking, Dr Shettima Mustapha, a member of the foundation, said Nigeria had no option but to embrace agriculture.
Mustapha, a one time Minister of Agriculture, said the foundation would institute a prize system designed not only to attract people to embrace agriculture but also to ensure that they excelled.
Earlier, Oyo had informed her guests that the agency’s Agriculture and Environment Desk, was responsible for about 50 per cent of stories relating to the sector published by the Nigerian media.
She said the desk was established to underscore the critical role of the sector to sustainable development of the Nigerian economy.
Reports say that the theme of the show, scheduled to hold at the National Agricultural Show Ground, Km 28, Abuja- Keffi Road, Tudun Wada, Nasarawa State, is “Food Security and National Economic Growth”.
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