Nigerians are full of rhetoric on agriculture. Since more than 80 percent of Nigerians came from agricultural background, they know how to till the land and they like to pontificate much on how to turn around the poor agricultural output of the country. Also, since President Muhammadu Buhari got to power in 2015, Nigerian newspapers have been full of high powered speeches on how to diversify the country’s economy into agriculture. Hardly does a day pass without something on how to do this.
Nigeria is not in short supply of recommendations on how to do anything. Nigeria’s problem is implementation of such recommendations and policies. Yet without thinking through recommendations and policies, they cannot be implemented and without implementation it cannot achieve anything.
The government image maker, Lai Mohammed, claimed that the government has put some 12.2 million people into Rice and Wheat production, using the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and that the country was on its way to self sufficiency in major grains production. The government’s statement is far from being the truth because it is almost impossible for peasant small holder farmers to use hoes and cutlasses to achieve such a feat. However, we would welcome details about how the feat was achieved.
Times without number, experts have informed government that the answer to increased food production for the local and export markets is through large scale mechanized agriculture using disease resistant hybrid seeds. In fact, if well thought out and implemented, more than double the 12.2 million people said to have been attracted into the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme can actually be out growers to large scale farmers who will in addition to tilling their own large farms also use their tractors and other implements to till farms for the small holder farmers, give them seedlings, teach them how to plant the seeds and also buy back their output at agreed prices.
In order words, it becomes a win – win situation as both the small holder farmers will become more educated than before on how to plant the seedlings, apply fertiliSers and herbicides, maintain the farms and how to harvest the proceeds. With time, some of them can team up to become large scale farmers too. On the part of the large scale farmers they got the loans at reasonable interest rates and they are able to increase their output and get more money through the out growers scheme.
Many Nigerian businessmen are eager to embark on large scale agriculture especially because of government’s seriousness to diversify the economy to agriculture and considering the modicum success of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme. The government should reach out to those who have indicated interest so far so that they can form the core groups of business men that will go into large scale agriculture. We must think out of the box if we want to succeed in agriculture. We must also think about how to bring the teeming youths into agriculture too particularly through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme which can easily turn them into millionaires after working on the farms for two years.
Plans must also be afoot to substantially increase the country’s production of exportable crops such as Sesame seeds, cashew nuts, soya beans, coffee, Gum Arabic, ginger, shear nuts, bhear Butter and chillies, among others. Nigeria is acknowledged as major producers of these agricultural products.
It is gratifying to note that the Bank of Agriculture has signed an agreement with Lovol, a leading Chinese technology company in the manufacturing of tractors, to execute a 300 million-dollar agricultural mechanisation programme aimed at revolutionising agriculture in Nigeria. BoA also signed an agreement with Agromech, a Nigerian company to implement the agricultural revolution programme.
Under the agreement, Lovol will supply various categories of tractors, farm equipment and inputs from China in the first year and will subsequently set up tractor assembly plants with maintenance units at different locations across the country as part of the Federal Government Policy Roadmap on Agriculture.
BoA observed that the agreement will quicken the impact and sustainability of agricultural sector through comprehensive mechanisation programme for farmers at all levels to enhance production and stimulate economic growth. Funding of the programme will come from the CBN, African Development Bank, China Exim Bank and bonds from National Pension Commission.
