NACCIMA To Partner FG On Agricultural Development

In a bid to increase productivity in the agriculture sector, the) has revealed its readiness to work with the Federal Government in the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020 through agriculture development.

Chairman of Export Action Group (NEXAG) Dr. Ade Adefeko, who represented the National President of NACCIMA, Iyalode Alabama Lawson, gave this indication at the monthly forum organised by the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Journalists (NAAJ) in partnership with Dizengoff Nigeria and Friesland Wamco Campina that the venture was borne out of the two clear strategies under its agriculture programme.

Lawson said, “going forward, NACCIMA aims to work closely with the Federal Government in the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-2020 which has laid out two clear strategies under its Agriculture programme.”

She added that the decision to work with federal government included government’s strategies of boosting productivity of the agriculture sector as well as the use of irrigable land and river basin infrastructure effectively to enable year-round agricultural production.

She maintained that in partnering with the government on the successful implementation of the ERGP, the association would engage the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) involved.

Lawson further said that the association would have the MDAs signify tasks and actions in line with the strategies that could be measured and monitored by the private sector in order to gauge the progress of the plan.

According to her, “despite the negative growth rate of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the agricultural sector had shown consistent growth since the third quarter of 2106.”

Giving the statistics, the NACCIMA boss said, “the growth rate of agriculture in the third quarter of 2016 increased by 4.54 percent while it recorded 4.03 percent by the last quarter of the year under review.

“In first quarter of 2017, she said it increased by 3.3 percent saying it was an indication of steady growth within the sector.

“These are in line with overall goal of the association to pursue government-supported, private-sector-driven agriculture-value-chain development to make agriculture more productive, efficient and competitive and in order to provide enough quality produce for domestic consumption and export.”