Dr. Phillip Nto.
By Rosemary Isiguzo ,
A call was recently made for a re-orientation of the nation’s agricultural practices, with recommendation that agribusiness should be an all-year-round activity, not a seasonal one. Dr. Phillips Nto, Director of Agribusiness Incubation Centre (ABIC) at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, as the nation seeks to boost food production and security.
Dr. Nto said the current farming system, which relies heavily on rainfall, was a major contributor to food insecurity in the country.
Said he: “I am happy that you are raising this issue of seasonal farming because there is so much ignorance in action among our farmers and some of us in the development economy, and agriculture experts, feel worried when people talk about the farming season.
“We feel worried when people talk about how they are waiting for the first rain to fall before we start our agricultural activities.
“It is a thing of concern for everybody; truth is that agriculture ought to be an all season business activity; agriculture ought not be a seasonal thing when you wait for the rain. We need to rethink, we need re-orientation for farmers, we need information so as to secure food security.
“It is something; an activity that we should do throughout the year”.
The former Commissioner for Finance advocated for the use of irrigation systems, such as drilling boreholes, to enable farmers plant and harvest crops throughout the year.
Asked Nto: “The government needs to do more to enlighten our farmers on best practices. If in advanced countries, there is nothing like seasons, why must we create seasons for ourselves here?”
Added the agriculture expert: “Just like they say civilization started in Egypt what does that imply? it means people were taking water from the River Nile sending it to the farms to irrigate their farm.
“By such method they will not be depending on rainfall alone, they depended on water from the River Nile.
“All over the country even in the North you have rivers everywhere, in our villages we have rivers everywhere, some close to the farm, can’t we adopt that innovation to irrigate our farms?”
He also lamented the huge losses incurred due to post-harvest mismanagement, citing a National Bureau of Statistics report that puts the figure at over N14 trillion annually.
Dr. Nto urged youths to tap into the opportunities available in the agricultural value chain, saying that the next crop of millionaires and billionaires in Nigeria would be youth entrepreneurs who exploit these opportunities.
On insecurity, Nto emphasised the need for the government to ensure safety of lives and property, noting that food security could not be achieved in an insecure environment.
Said he: “One issue plaguing every part of this country today is insecurity. Most farmers at this point are scared to go back to the farms.
“Going to the farm they will be attacked, killed, and raped. The insecurity is not only in the North, even down South here, we still have the same problem.
“You see herders attacking people in their farms, you see herders taking their cows to the farm while they graze on farmers crops.
“When I was a Commissioner for Finance, in one of the summits we had in Abuja, I advocated for ranching.
“My worry is that this issue is a political issue and it goes beyond what we see. It is not good for the health and peace of the country.
“This is where the government should come in and ensure that there is safety of lives and property.
“You cannot talk about food security or sufficiency if there is insecurity in the land.
“Government is expected to rise to this challenge of insecurity. No place, no region as I speak is safe”.
He, however, commended the increased allocation to the Defence Ministry in the 2025 budget, hoping that it would be well-implemented to address the insecurity challenge.
Nto’s called for a re-orientation of agricultural practices, adding that stakeholders say it is a timely one, and that his suggestions on how to achieve this goal are worth considering.
