Mr Jerry Ossai, an agriculturist, has stressed the need for Nigerians to embrace agriculture as one of the ways of bailing the country out of its economic challenges.
Ossai, a former Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Delta chapter, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Asaba.
He also called on the people to take advantage of the nation’s natural resources to achieve active participation in agriculture.
According to him, the call becomes because agriculture plays strategic role in the process of economic development.
He said agriculture also played significant role in human life with the main goal of meeting population’s needs for food, providing the industry with raw materials and the greatest employer of labour, globally.
Ossai, also a former Commissioner for Agriculture in Delta, said that another major way to revive the economy of the nation was to harness its natural resources.
“Nigeria is a rich and blessed country where all the natural resources are in abundance.
“We cannot continue to live in poverty when the nation is blessed with great natural resources.
“Apart from oil, Nigeria is blessed with palm oil, cassava, coal, maize even vegetables among other good crops,’’ he said.
Ossai commended the present administration for its agricultural programmes and policies.
He, however, appealed to government at all levels to make agriculture attractive through adequate budgetary allocation and support rural dwellers with farm inputs.
“There is no doubt that the present administration is doing well in the agricultural sector, but a lot still needs to be done to make meaningful impact in the economy of the nation.
“Investing more in agriculture will go a long way in attracting more people, especially youths, who are jobless into agriculture.“
He also advised government to create open door policy so that youths could embrace agriculture, mostly unemployed youths and boost the nation’s food production.(NAN)