Annan, others drum up support for Jonathan on agric

A meeting of Eminent Persons Group convened by President Jonathan in New York gave the advice after noting that the inconsistency and lack of coordination among government ministries and agencies are not helping matters.A statement by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture on Media, Dr. Oyeleye Olukayode, said the high level advisory body […]

A meeting of Eminent Persons Group convened by President Jonathan in New York gave the advice after noting that the inconsistency and lack of coordination among government ministries and agencies are not helping matters.
A statement by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture on Media, Dr. Oyeleye Olukayode, said the high level advisory body was convened to advise the president on how to move agricultural transformation forward.
The statement said President Jonathan had asked for views and advice of the eminent leaders that include Mr. Kofi Annan, President of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, President of International Fund for Agricultural Development, Dr Kanayo Nwanze and Alhaji Sani Dangote the Chairman of Dansa Foods and Vice Chairman of Dangote Group, respectively.
Alhaji Sani was quoted in the statement as lamenting the contradiction in government policy where a ministry will grant tariff waivers for the importation of palm oil while the Ministry of Agriculture is trying to promote local production by prompting farmers to expand plantation holdings.
The statement quoted former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan as describing the situation where one ministry is working at cross-purposes with another as unacceptable, particularly when one is trying to improve the livelihood of poor local farmers and boost local production and another is giving import waivers that would discourage the local farmers from production.
He was, however pessimistic that some companies that were importing are now engaged in agriculture, growing locally.
Dr. Nwanze also called for cohesion among the various government agencies in the implementation of the agricultural transformation agenda, saying that ATA goes beyond one ministry. He also endorsed the youth programme and urged IFAD to continue to work directly with the ministry in that regard.
On his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina noted that there has been a significant increase in the participation of local industries since the commencement of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, with local investment replacing the old import dependent business activities, adding, “when we started, we had 11 seed companies, today, we have 71.”
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, stressed the need for connectivity among ministries, adding that it is in the interest of Nigeria to diversify the economic base, away from oil and gas.
She said some fertilizer projects are soon to commence production as part of the collaborative efforts of her ministry with the Ministry of Agriculture.