23rd April, 2012
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has called for continued subsidy on agricultural produce as a means of protecting local farmers.
The governor stated this in Benin on Monday at the first Edo State AgriBusiness Investment Summit 2012, holding in Benin City, the State capital, southsouth Nigeria.
“For Nigeria to meet its plan of driving the economy in the areas of job creation, food sufficiency and serving as alternatives to oil, there must be an interventionist policy,” he said.
According to him, the United States of America (USA), even subsidizes agriculture.
He stressed that the subsidy given to farmers in America is the cause of poverty in most West African countries.
He said ‘’National Government must protect National interest’.
Comrade Oshiomhole said there was a need for another nationwide protest to stop the federal government from granting waivers for the importation of vegetable oil, protest rice importation, etc.
The governor said it is too early to applaud government agric policies which he agreed was impressive but want Nigerians to wait to see the implementation of the policies before clapping for the government.
He said the country had in the past witnessed good agric policies but regrettably all ended without food on the table.
Oshiomhole disclosed that his administration is placing emphasis on agriculture as an alternative to oil, for job creation and the need to be the country’s largest food producer.
He mentioned areas of crop concentration for his administration to include rubber, rice, cassava, palm produce and cocoa.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina regretted that despite the fact that Nigeria’s economy is growing by 7.8 percent yearly and the fact that it is the third fastest growing economy in the world, the country is not growing enough to create jobs for its youths.
He therefore called for the diversification of the economy as a way out, stressing that no sector has the potential to create jobs than agriculture.
According to him, Nigeria spends N1.3 trillion to import agricultural products such as wheat, rice, sugar, adding that Nigeria has become a dumping ground for all manner of importers.
“My job as a minister is not to import food but to bring out Nigeria’s potentials,” Dr. Adesina said.
Jethro Ibileke/Benin City