Olu Samuel, Lokoja
The Minister of agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari has reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government towards sustaining and ramping up the momentum of the present growth in the agricultural sector.
The minister stated this on Saturday while commissioning Agribusiness Incubation Center at Federal University Lokoja.
The commissioning took place on Saturday during the 6th and 7th Convocation ceremony of the institution.
The Minister who was represented by the permanent secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe said that this would be achieved by providing needed enabling environment to boost the entire efforts of farmers, entrepreneurs and investors along the entire Agricultural Value Chain.
He said more efforts are being channeled towards promoting local and foreign partnerships to boost the present level of trade and investment in agriculture as a veritable strategy for the economic diversification of our Great country
The Minister noted that the Incubation centre is being established as a Special Centre of Excellence to support and promote food security in Nigeria, and to support youth and women empowerment as well as promote employment generation, wealth creation and poverty reduction through the development of viable agribusiness and entrepreneurship skills in different Agricultural Value Chains across the country.
His words, “The focus of the centre include; enhancing production capacity, value addition, quality control and standards, and opening access to local and international markets for our agricultural produce. The project is aimed at facilitating and attracting investments into the agricultural sector, ensuring survival and sustainability of agri-based businesses and increasing domestic food production and exports.
“The centres will serve as practical knowledge hubs where best practical skills, processes and inputs can be acquired on particular commodities. These centres will also produce young generation of successor farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs who can adapt new technologies and innovations across the segments of commodities enterprise/value chain of production, processing, storage and marketing.
“The centre is equipped to provide business basics through comprehensive training programmes along commodity Value chains and business start-ups including access to bank loans and other funds and guarantee programmes. The centre will support Market research, linkage to strategic partners, access to investors and the development of business plans and business networking etc.
He noted that he hope the Agribusiness Incubation Centre will serve as a practical and innovative approach to support and promote growth of Agribusiness, trade and investment not only in Kogi state but, in Nigeria at large.
” I am therefore hopeful that the University will explore this opportunity and make the best use of the centre and prove its support as a formidable institution in the concerted efforts of the government to grow the nation’s economy using the agricultural sector.
He therefore urged the management to embark on advocacy, awareness promotion and sensitization of youth, women and other beneficiaries across the university catchment area and even beyond to take advantage of this project.