Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara,
has advised the wealthy in Nigeria to invest resources in mechanised farming
in Nigeria.
He said this will generate revenue for the country and
bring the needed foreign exchange to move the economy forward.
Speaking when he visited Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom,
Plateau State, Dogara said owners of land and capital should look beyond
building of estates for rent and move into agriculture where they can provide
employment while generating wealth.
He said, “I want to call on other entrepreneurs in Nigeria,
especially those who have capital in hand, to take to mechanised farming and
for most of our businessmen who think that the only way you can make money is
through rent seeking to now see this as an example where you can add value to
peoples lives and our nation’s economy.
“If you look at milk produced in Nigeria, if we continue to
depend on imports, that will deplete our forex in the sense that we have to
contend with a situation whereby we always apply for forex to be able to bring
in these products,” he added.
Dogara also noted that agriculture can only contribute
meaningfully to economic growth in Nigeria when it is mechanised, as “there is
no way we can compete in the global space without mechanised farming.
Earlier, Air Vice Marshall Ishaya Shekari (rtd), who runs
the farm, which produces Farm Fresh Yoghurt, urged the government to provide
land for farmers under ownership basis, saying it will make them feel more
secure.
He further thanked the Speaker for his interest and support
for agriculture.
”This is a direct invitation for others who are involved
in agriculture to come and see the little that we are doing here so that
perhaps they will appreciate it and give us the necessary support.
”The things we put in the ground here, we certainly don’t
want to put them and just, one day, be asked to move out. So that is why we
want more ownership.
“We hope we will be given the opportunity to have more
ownership of the land. We have written the minister of Agriculture in this
regard.”
By Wale Odunsi
