Food security expert, agribusiness strategist and serial farmer, AfricanFarmer Mogaji has stated the need for the newly appointed minister of Agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari to have ten special advisors seeing that he is rather a politician without expertise in agriculture.
Mogaji, in an interview with ARISE NEWS, also said the minister should ensure that the private sector thrives under his administration, adding that if the minister ignores that sector, the country could be in a mess in the aspect of food security in no distant time.
“He is not an expert in Agriculture. He is a politician. We really hope he is an administrator. If he is an administrator, then he needs ten special advisors. He needs market development, because you can’t develop just cassava and tomato. You need to develop across the value chain. Bottom line is that if he doesn’t get it right with special advisors, then it’s not going to be easy.
“The minister needs to understand that his job is to ensure that the private sector thrives in agriculture, creating an enabling environment for players outside of the government. If he misses that, by the end of September, into October, the country will be in a mess. There are about 11 institutions or parastatals under the ministry of agriculture that if something goes wrong with one, we won’t be food secure. His job is primarily to make sure that these parastatals work.
“What I have started seeing since the administration came into office, is that we have been trying to concentrate on one product or the other as against having a robust view. So, his job is to make sure that the eleven parastatals under him function so that everybody will not be in need of the government intervention funds. If he loses that focus, we would be going in cycles again.” He said
The food security expert also advised that the government should see to it that a huge chunk of the palliatives to be given to each state, goes into agriculture.
He said “Outside that, these palliatives are crucial because they have the fundings. The fundings given to each state, they need to compel them to see that a huge chunk of it goes into agriculture. Because in every state, apart from like Lagos, the bulk of the population is in the villages, they are into agriculture.
“So, if each state takes part of that palliative and put into agriculture, while the ministry of agriculture comes in to work with them, then they would work.”
The new minister of Agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari on Monday, said one of the biggest challenges in the country is hunger and vowed to tackle it head on.
Chioma Kalu
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