Lagos — Before the oil boom in the 1970s, Agriculture was the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. The three regions at the time leveraged on their comparative advantages to oil the wheel of the Nigerian economy. Each region had a unique selling proposition. Northern Nigeria was chiefly famous for the production and export of groundnut. The proceeds from this cash crop were used to establish some enduring institutions and finance major public ventures. It is on record that the prestigious Ahmedu Bello University, Zaria was built with earnings from groundnut. Cocoa was the life wire of the West while the old Eastern region was built on Palm Oil, kernel and Coal. The then Premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo relied heavily on the takings of Cocoa to finance the populist but capital intensive Free Education Scheme of his Government. Similarly, many public institutions in the East including the popular University of Nigeria, Nsukka owed their existence to the profits of Palm fruit and its bye-products.

This was the Nigerian story before God chose to give our mother land oil more than it knows what to do with. Having seen the awesome power, the black gold conferred on Saudi Arabia, a kingdom, if without oil could have been feeding on sand, begging for alms like the poverty- stricken Ethiopia, the largest populous black nation jettisoned Agriculture. Successive governments embarked on importation of grains, turning Nigeria into a granary of imported food crops. Countries like Malasia which imported Palm Kernel from Nigeria in the 1960s suddenly overtook Nigeria. States like Benue, fondly called the "food basket" became an empty basket with analysts alluding to the state as a mystic food basket state.

And food crisis became the issue and the rule in a country lavishly blessed with natural resources. Before we put ourselves in this mess, the old Benue province, the old Anambra State, the old Mid-Western State and of course the old Rivers State could produce enough food to feed the nation and even export. Animal production was at its optimum.

The foundation stone for food crisis was laid by military incursion into politics. The Military Government both at the state and federal levels earmarked little funds for the Agricultural sector. Defence and National Security took over half of the national budget even though Nigeria has never been at war after the civil war. Their civilian counterpart failed to reverse the unhealthy policy. The implication of this deliberate decision was that successive governments were keen at what some scholars call "regime building" and not "people building" as against the norm in the 1960s when Agriculture and Education were given top priority in budgetary allocations.

The farmers no longer have access to farm inputs. Fertilizer distribution for example became politicised. Fertilizers found their ways to the homes of politicians who hardly need fertilizers. Accessing credit facilities by farmers was (and is) difficult. The farmers left their farms and plantations for townships to feed on oil money.

Oil made every thing possible including brazen corruption and the civil war. Oil money was (and is) in abundance so much so that a former Nigerian leader publicly said Nigeria's problem was not cash but how to spend it. The petro-dollars kept (and still counting) filtering in until the Agricultural sector was destroyed. This also quickened the collapse of the Agro-allied industrial sector partly because of the dearth of raw materials. The more the nation smiles to the bank with oil money, the more the agitations for resource control, militancy in the Niger Delta and profligacy in high places making some commentators to describe oil as a curse rather than blessing. See what oil has done to our nation!

It is against this background that the President Umar Yar'Adua administration claims to be working very hard to turn the land into a green belt of food and cash crops for the attainment of food security, wealth creation and the diversification of the economy. Accordingly, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources under the leadership of Alhaji Abba Ruma has evolved a coherent and holistic policies and programs to address the myriad problems inherent in the sector. The Minister believes this step would improve animal production, provide portable water and turn every blade of grass in the land into green food crops with a view to ensuring food sufficiency for the citizenry and for export.

To effectively do this, the Minister said Government understudied previous efforts of its predecessors. Chief among them were: Operation Feed the Nation, Green Revolution, Back to the Farm, DFFRI, and National Food Security Program. Government's study shows that the programs could not yield the targeted results of food sufficiency and the strengthening of value chain.

The Minister's words: "The annual post-harvest loss recorded by the Nigerian farmers constitute greater threat to food security, socio-economic living conditions of the populace and by extension sustainable growth and development of the Nigerian economy especially in the face of the global financial crisis. This is why strengthening of the agricultural value chain becomes imperative. It is important to note that the Nigerian farmer who relies on crude implements to till the land, thresh the crops and store them in improvised silos bereft of modern facilities is left to suffer further exploitation in the hands of extortionist grain merchants.

To this end, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources has fashioned out several programmes to reposition agriculture through strengthening of the value chain, for sustainable growth and development of the Nigerian economy. The tripod on which the value chain approach rests is a "triple A" concept: Availability, Affordability and Accessibility."

Some of these programmes include the Commercial Agriculture Development Programme, rehabilitation of existing silos and the construction of new ones for storage of agricultural produce, to reduce the incidence of post-harvest loss; guaranteed minimum price for the Nigerian farmer. To provide sense of ownership and community involvement and participation, government is also supporting the development of community warehousing in all parts of the country.

The ministry is also vigorously pursuing the establishment of viable agro-processing centres and export handling centres through a tripartite partnership between the three tiers of government and the organized private sector on one hand and producer cooperatives on the other hand.

In order to ensure the attainment of food security through the promotion of best practices in agricultural development, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources believes it has fashioned out a clear policy direction encapsulated in the 5-Point Agenda to provide road map for the strategic implementation of the food security and agriculture and water resources development programme.

The schematic content of the agenda includes the establishment of clusters of agro-processing centres, export conditioning centres, micro finance as well as insurance institutions in close proximity to farmlands and produce markets to provide organic linkage for optimum utilization and integration of resources like inputs supply, markets and capacity building. And equally important is the resolve by the Ministry to eliminate fertilizer racketeering so that all farmers would have access to the inorganic manure!

There is no doubt that all countries in history which attained food sufficiency rolled out some of the programs evolved by the present administration. If these policies must work then the Federal Government needs to increase the budget to the Agricultural sector and consistently implement the policies put in place by the current Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources. This is against the background that the sector in the last two decade has been grossly underfunded. The citizens too have a role to play especially in protecting Agricultural projects. Nigerians should be proud to veer into farming as a profession. This way, Nigeria will not just have enough to feed its fast growing population but regain its lost glory in Agriculture! This to me will boost the National Rebranding Campaign initiated by the brand, Professor Dora Akunyili. Why. It will be needless to import food to the country as witnessed during the so called global food crisis. The Nigerian people will have enough to eat and the complaint in some quarters that Minister Akunyili should first put food on the table of the masses before launching rebranding will be overtaken by events!

Agbo, Media Assistant to the Minister of Information and Communications wrote in from Abuja