Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has affirmed that there can be no monumental progress in the country’s agricultural sector without good and quality seeds being made available to farmers.
In a statement made available to BusinessDay, Olukayode Oyeleye, special adviser on media to the minister, quoted the minister as saying that, “for seeds, we really have to spend money on seed improvement.”
BusinessDay had earlier reported that the inability of the country to invest in the seeds has created a N525.04 billion gap in the industry, leaving farmers with low quality inputs that portend danger to crop production and the country’s food-sufficiency target.
“Thank God we have the three universities of agriculture back with us now. We are going to have to train breeders. Each of these universities should be able to earn N10 billion a year on improved seeds. And, from good seeds, to good fertiliser, soil improvement, irrigation, then there is no reason why any person in agriculture, barring some natural disaster, should live, complaining that he or she lost money. That is the whole enterprise,” Ogbeh said.
According to him, one of the reasons why money deposit banks fail to support farmers is because of low yield per hectare. “One of the reasons why bankers won’t support agriculture is that the yields are low and farmers can’t repay. The farmer who does one-and-a-half tons per hectare can’t repay his loans. The bank doesn’t want to know that. If the farmer is doing seven tons, and he owes only N200, 000, frankly, there is no reason why he shouldn’t repay so he can get more.”
“If agriculture becomes worthwhile and profitable,” he said, “young people, women and retired civil servants can go in. The market is big: the Nigerian market, the West African market, the African market, all begging for food. So, if we can put these things together and help guide them, our job is done.”
Since 2012, the number of private seed companies has grown from 11 to over 100, which, experts say, is an attestation of the enormously untapped potential and vast business opportunities yet unexplored. Some of them are Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited, Maslaha Seeds Nigeria Limited, West African Cotton Company Limited (WACOT), Notore Seeds Limited, Candel Seeds Limited, and Alheri Seeds Nigeria Limited.
However, most of the seeds found in the Nigerian market are adulterated, as the federal and state governments show no interest in investing into the seed industry. Apart from poor funding of research institutions that are expected to evolve quality seeds, there is also no public-private sector initiative on this.
Josephine Okojie
