Government officials and stakeholders in the agriculture value chain in the southwest region of the country are clamoring for increased investment in agriculture to boost the economy post-COVID-19.

They advised investors to take advantage of the renewed focus of the government in the non-oil sector to create wealth and build sustainable businesses.

Speaking at a virtual conference hosted by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry themed ‘Exploring Agribusiness Opportunities in South-West Nigeria’, they identified cassava, oil palm, cocoa, maize and rice as some of the thriving agricultural products in the region.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, said that the state in the last one year had delivered a lot of projects in agriculture.

According to him, a roadmap has been designed on the necessary interventions in the agricultural sector and investment opportunities that exist in the state.

With the realisation that Lagos produces less than 20 per cent of food consumed in the state, he said there were plans to scale food production in the state to 40 per cent by focusing on value chains that were competitive.

According to him, investment opportunities and incentives are available in poultry, fish farming and rice cultivation.

He listed some of the incentives available to farmers in the state are farm inputs, subsidised land, farm machineries like tractor and sharing of relevant information.

On his part, the Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina, said that farmers in the state had competitive advantage in the areas of cassava farming, oil palm production, cocoa and vegetable farming.

He said there were available investment opportunities for off-takers and processors in aquaculture in Ogun State.

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Olabode Folorunsho, said the ease of doing business in Ekiti was suitable for agric investors.

He listed cocoa, cashew, maize, millet, soybeans and cassava as crops that were mostly cultivated in the state.

We want to see agriculture as a vehicle to put food on people’s table and create jobs for the teeming youths,

he said.

The commissioner added that good road network and nearness of communities to each other were some of the strong characteristics of the state that boost agric activities.

The President of LCCI, Toki Mabogunje, said the webinar came at a time when there was a renewed focus on economic diversification and self-reliance.

She noted that Nigeria had a competitive and comparative advantage in agriculture and agribusiness.

Mabogunje said,

If COVID-19 has taught us any lesson, it is the re-awakening of the critical importance of economic diversification, self-reliance and backward integration. We need the right policies, institutions and infrastructure to make this happen.

The sector is still grappling with numerous productivity challenges. We are yet to harness the enormous opportunities in the agricultural space. Africa is the new investment frontier and Nigeria is the key to opening the continent.

The Chairman, LCCI Agric Group, Africanfarmer Mogaji, noted that agribusiness was more than food production as it affected security, job creation, shaped the culture, economic development, national security and sustainability.

He added,

This event is a trigger to finding practical solutions where stakeholders, government and private sector can find mutual areas of collaboration.

It is about sustaining the future of this country and finding the mutual strength by collaboration with each other.

He encouraged the six geopolitical regions to collaborate, trade and prosper together, adding that five years from now, the outcome would be economic growth for the country.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.