‘Engage researchers for agric blueprint’

By Kehinde Oluwatayo
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Government at all levels have been advised to have a projection of what they want to achieve in agriculture per time so as to have robust agricultural programmes.

Speaking in an interview with The Hope, Dr Emmanuel Moyinjesu of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure advised that researchers in the agricultural sector should be involved in developing a blueprint for the sector.

He said researchers can not be ignored in the development of agriculture in the country adding that government can not do it alone hence the need to involve them.

“We need to know how to improve on the involvement of women group, how to bring in digitalisation and ICT, so that youths can be interested, how we can encourage small scale industries to develop from agriculture among others.

“We need to develop a blueprint. We need to have a projection of what we want for our agriculture to be in the next ten or twenty years and government can not do it alone. They need researchers and the private sector.

“These are the things we must do. Oil has failed us. Coronavirus has exposed us as a vulnerable country. Our people are crying, palliatives are not reaching anywhere. We must have a rethink so that we can reach Eldorado”, he said.

He averred that agriculture should be subsidized the way oil is being subsidised for enhanced food production.

He also advised that government should ensure that  farmers have access to loan  and they get it at a reduced rate.