Misbahu Bashir
1 October 2007
Abuja — Nigeria will partner with South Africa on agricultural development in line with its food security programme, Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources has said. Dr. Abba Sayyadi Ruma disclosed this when he received the South African High Commissioner, Mr. Bangumzi Sifingo, in his office.
Dr. Ruma told the South African envoy that Nigeria is lagging in all facets of agricultural activities especially in the areas of agric mechanization, animal husbandry, fisheries and irrigation sub-sector. "The majority of Nigerian farmers are still using outdated techniques in tilling the land for cultivation with the attendant difficulties and man hour loss" he said.
The minister said the Federal Government is committed to revolutionizing the sector to conform to the realities of the twenty first century.
According to Ruma, government plans to set up a tractor manufacturing plant in partnership with the private sector to increase the number of tractors from 20,000 units which is below the Food and Agricultural Organis-ation (FAO) standard of 1.5 million.
He also said government would construct agro-allied industries in each of the 109 Senatorial districts to process food and cash crops for local consumption and export.
Responding, the South African envoy noted that Nigeria could become the food basket of the West African Sub-Region given its immense agricultural, water and human resources potential.
Mr. Sifingo told the minister that South African farmers are ready to invest in the country on a Public-Private Partnership model to complement federal government's National Food Security Programme.
He also explained that Nigeria could borrow from South Africa's Community Development Model whereby agriculture input support services like tractors and other farm implements are pooled together for the benefit of selected communities.
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