FG unveils agric performance survey in 29yrs

The Federal Government yesterday in Abuja presented to the public the agricultural performance assessment and statistics on the country’s rain-fed food production for the first time in 29 years. The survey report, which was done by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAESRLS) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at […]

The Federal Government yesterday in Abuja presented to the public the agricultural performance assessment and statistics on the country’s rain-fed food production for the first time in 29 years.

The survey report, which was done by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAESRLS) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State, covered the 2017 wet season.

The 2017 Wet Season Agricultural Performance Survey in Nigeria was conducted in collaboration with all the state Agricultural Development Programmes and ministries of agriculture.

The report shows increase in cultivated land areas for food production above that of 2016 in major areas of agriculture but recorded marginal performance for livestock and aquaculture.

The study however noted that although production has increase, the average yield in the country is still far below the global average attained in many countries.

Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri while unveiling the survey stated that it was very sad that in the past 29 years, the country produced this type of document of survey conducted across the country but never formally presented to the public.

 “One of the problems we have in the country is lack of data. How credible is the data is another issue entirely, but in the first place we do not even have the data and because of that most judgments that are made about Nigeria, are always made on wrong premises,” he said.

 The minister stated that a lot of investors who want to invest in the country are complaining of lack of data that will inform their investment judgments adding that from now on, the survey will be an annual national event.

Professor MK Othman, the Executive Director of NAERLS who presented the survey said extension services, and mechanization was very low across the country.

The report shows livestock and crop-by-crop performance in 2017 compare to 2016.