Northeast economic workshop: Agric as key to dev.

Chairman, Diversification committee of the commission, Dr Casmir I. Anyanwu said the objective of the workshop which was organized by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), was to sensitize government at all levels and other stakeholders on the urgent need to broaden the economic base of the nation by diversifying the sources of […]

Chairman, Diversification committee of the commission, Dr Casmir I. Anyanwu said the objective of the workshop which was organized by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), was to sensitize government at all levels and other stakeholders on the urgent need to broaden the economic base of the nation by diversifying the sources of revenue in order to meet the increasing expenditure requirements of governance and development.
He said the workshop was also aimed at providing the opportunity for governments and stakeholders in the zone to interact, share experiences and explore strategies of exploiting and developing the various resource endowments available in their respective states.
Declaring the workshop open, Gombe State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, said the workshop is an opportunity to meet and interact with personalities whose wealth of experience will come to bear on the workshop, adding, “It is indeed apt and timely as it will enable us review the challenges of economic development as an avenue for diagnostic review of issues confronting revenue generation.”
In their various keynote addresses and goodwill messages, presented by their various representatives, the governors from the North-east geo-political zone observed that Nigeria’s continued dependence on oil and gas revenue and the country’s inability to diversify its economic base in spite of the abundant natural and human resources available in the country has made the economy more vulnerable.
The governors of the six states in the zone in their individual presentations observed that over dependence on oil and gas is responsible for the various socio-economic challenges as well as high rate of unemployment, budget deficit, infrastructural gap, increasing debt profile, poverty level and the raising level of insecurity in the country.
A communiqué issued at the end of the two-day workshop and signed by Dr Anyanwu and some top government functionaries from the participating states, noted that all tiers of governments in this country are facing financial challenges and have shortfalls in revenues required to fund their various developmental programs to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
In view of this basic need, the communiqué urged governments at all levels to devise strategies and means aimed at improving their internally generated revenues and to strengthen their legal, regulatory and institutional framework as well as provide the enabling environment to attract local and foreign investors to promote economic diversification and enhanced revenue generation at their levels.
The workshop further noted that agricultural production was neglected over the years and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product declined considerably due to dependence on oil and gas sector, pointing that other factors that have negatively affected agricultural production in Nigeria include land tenure limitations, lack of access to credits facilities to farmers, low level application of modern techniques, poor inputs particularly fertilizer, frequent policy changes, low budgetary provisions for agricultural projects and schemes, absence of organized marketing structures such as marketing boards and vibrant cooperative societies, collapse of basic infrastructural facilities, lack of appropriate storage and preservation facilities, menace of climate change such as desertification, flood and erosion.
The conference noted that Nigeria has never lacked in formulating good agricultural policies and programs, however, the problem had largely been that of weak political will and policy inconsistency; that Nigeria’s dependence on food imports and preference for foreign products is alarming thus constituting high food security risk, drain on our foreign reserves and exposes Nigerian farmers to unnecessary and unfair external competition and consequent rising unemployment.
That the absence of grazing reserves and cattle routes as well as encroachment of the few identified grazing and cattle routes has been part of the problems leading to farmers and cattle breeders conflicts that has so far claimed several lives and properties.
The conference observed that linkages in terms of policy and technical collaboration and cooperation among government at all levels and various institutions responsible for planning of agricultural development programs and research in the country are still very low and inadequate.
That agricultural production in Nigeria is predominantly subsistent and peasant in nature as Nigeria’s yield per area of production is among the lowest in the world and even in West Africa sub-region. Thus, there is need to encourage commercial and modern technology in farming in order to increase agricultural yields.
It was noted that small scale producers constitute a very important chain in agricultural production and agro-processing in Nigeria and therefore the workshop agreed that they should be targeted and encouraged by government at all levels to have access to funds, farm inputs, land clearing subsidies, capacity building and skills as well as formation of cooperative societies.
The conference noted that uneasy access to funds by farmers and high interest rates on agricultural loans are serious constrains to farming in Nigeria, the workshop therefore came up with 23 points recommendations that include the use of agricultural production to create wealth, employment opportunities, food security and other socio-economic challenges.
It noted that governments should engage in bold and pragmatic measures aimed at diversifying the agricultural sector and add value to agricultural produce so as to create wealth and provide job opportunities to the youths’.
Part of the resolution called on governments at all levels to demonstrate enough political will and be committed in increasing agricultural sector budgeting and investment through insurance and funds support schemes; loan guarantee, to place the sector in the right pedestal of growth, farmers should be the centre piece of such re-enforced funding and risk mitigating schemes.
That specific strategy should be put in place to encourage people to develop interest in practical farming and research in related agricultural fields, and states in the North-East should re-establish community marketing boards and that they should also establish joint programs such as Annual North-east Agricultural show and Exhibition on rotational basis to expose farmers and their products, thereby encouraging participation in the agricultural sector.
It was also resolved that the zone should establish an agricultural innovation fund to cater for the development and growth of modern and commercial agricultural enterprises and ventures in the region while the federal government should make effort to revamp the Chad Basin for the promotion of irrigation farming and other economic activities in the region.