Agriculture is key to economic growth and development. It lays the foundationfor human basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. It is essential to the survival of mankind but grossly underutilized in the Nigerian system.
The agricultural sector is ill in Nigeria, and it is one of the major causes in the rise in prices of goods and services. The government has lneedediled to establish this sector and encourage its citizens to venture into it. Bad governance and leadership has contributed greatly as farmers are either discouraged or afraid to continue in animal and crop production.
Government has neglected agriculture as a sector. The average Nigerian is driving towards a white collar job because of comfort. The income of those living from agriculture is nothing to write home about. Only few succeed on the large scale. The others live on an average income.
The lack of manpower has brought about shortage in food production, which has in turn led to the importation of foodstuffs. This food shortage has led to the squandering of national income on the importation of foodstuffs when we have fertile soil for crop production.
Insecurity has not helped matters as there is a rise in migration between villages and states. The constant migration of people has made farmlands desolate. Bandits and terrorists now attack farm owners and kill them.
Some make their livestock’s feed on these farm crops while the security agencies declare the situation as inhumane and do nothing about the situation. Roads are now owned by bandits who attack the innocent and discourage the transportation of farm produce from one part to another.
Nigeria is known as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The people who get to receive the quota of the national budget for the agricultural sector, have other agendas in mind. Such funds are looted and shared amongst those at the top. After the looting, when the circulation of the funds go round, it becomes difficult to give an accurate account of how it was spent.
Many investors are not interested in the agricultural sector. Investments into this sector dropped to a five year low in 2022. Farming on a large scale is expensive as more research, drugs, improved seeds, agricultural tools and machineries involves a lot of money.
Most farmers do not have access to these farm inputs, thereby making their harvest few and sometimes poor. With this type of produce and a nation to feed, has sent the country to give out funds to other countries to get what we can produce as a nation.
Importation of good farm produce discourages people from buying home-based grown products. Imported foods from other countries are usually high and rich in nutrients. Funds meant to feed the nation by investing into research and provision of farm input , are given to other nations as profits which they use to develop their own agricultural sector.
These problems can be solved if farm inputs such as seeds, machines and tools are provided to farmers who are ready to go to farm. The public should be enlightened on the importance of agriculture in nation development, how it affects the income of the nation and how the basic amenities such as food, clothing and shelter are obtained.
Government should deploy security agencies that will help secure farmlands from terrorists and bandits. When the security increases, farmlands that are usually abandoned for the safety of the owner will continue to be used until the harvest is obtained.
The consequences of their wrong actions will keep bringing the Nigeria we hope to build into a pit hole. It is the masses who have little to live on that will be affected. The right leaders should be put in place to build the agricultural sector.
Investors should support the agricultural sector to help increase farm produce and rear livestock by providing funds and help in conducting more research. Agricultural agencies, NGOs and many who shy away from agriculture should help by discovering the areas that need intervention. This is to solve the problem of having less harvest of crops in the country.
Importation of farm produce should be reduced and funds used for importation should be focused on building the agricultural sector. Farm produce can then be in abundance. When there is abundance, the country exports the products to other countries for profit. Such profit can then be used to develop other sectors of the economy.
Finally, agro-based industries should be built. Industries that are centered on the processing of crops to produce finished goods should be encouraged. If the level of importation of foreign goods reduces, the country can begin to fend for itself.
