FG to establish new agric marketing corporations

The Federal Government is to establish new marketing corporations to further strengthen the agriculture sector and improve market opportunities for farmers.

President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed this on Tuesday in Tudun Wada, Nasarawa State, while declaring open the 2013 National Agriculture Show.

Represented by Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Jonathan said that the new marketing corporations would replace the defunct marketing boards.

“The first set of marketing corporations, which will be ready within the next few months, will be run by the private sector and will focus on cotton, cassava and cocoa.”

He added that progress had been made towards the development of agricultural commodity exchanges that would provide better opportunities to farmers to access markets and secure better prices.

The president explained that the success of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) had attracted global development finance institutions to the country.

He observed that the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) had committed two billion dollars to support the ATA.

He gave an assurance that there would be bountiful harvest of all crops from the “massive” distribution of inputs to farmers.

“We will secure the harvests. Government will put in place financing to buy back and guarantee prices for farmers. We are working to reduce post-harvest losses farmers face.

“We have initiated the process to acquire and install temperature-controlled solar-powered warehouses for farmers.

“A total of 800 modern warehouses will soon be established and every local government will have one warehouse, to be run by farmers and the private sector,’’ Jonathan said.

In his remarks, Gov. Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State, promised that the state government would support and collaborate with the Federal Government in its effort to transform the sector.

He noted that his administration had encouraged all citizens of the state to embrace agriculture.

Earlier, Dr Louise Setshwaelo, the Country Representative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), stressed the need to strengthen efforts to translate food availability into better nutrition for Nigerians.

She noted that the FAO recently resolved to work toward rapid eradication of hunger and malnutrition and to accelerate the shift to a sustainable food production and consumption system.

Setshwaelo gave an assurance that the FAO and other UN agencies would continue to partner with and support the Federal Government in its effort to reposition agriculture.

In his remark, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, Chairman, National Agriculture Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN), organisers of the show, stressed that it was time to move agriculture to a more business-like venture.

“We appreciate that agro-business is capital-intensive venture. We must change the status quo of peasant agriculture that does not encourage us to take the value chain approach,’’ Adamu said. (NAN)