President Tinubu chides Research on promotion

 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has condemned many promotional driven research on the shelves  without positive impact to food security in Nigeria. Tinubu said this during the recently concluded 6th Africa- Wife Agricultural Extension Week held in Abuja, Nigeria last week.

Speaking through his Minister of Agriculture, State,  Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the President lamented on research being embarked upon without farmers' demand  that ended up in the institutes' shelves saying government is no longer interested in such expenditure.

He cited a situation whereby scientists are only particular about research that would only earn them office promotion at the expense of improved technologies for the use of farmers' and other stakeholders based on demand at the food productivity value chains.

President Tinubu condemned the constant disconnect between researchers and farmers saying that " The various research Institutes are not sharing their technologies. They are keeping them on shelves. For us, what we will like to support is demand driven agricultural research, where for every research being conducted would have gotten already made market.

" It is not a situation that somebody sits down to conduct any research in order to get certificate for promotion. This is not helping us. We must find  a way of making sure that we have demand driven agricultural research. What we are doing is supply driven research. This is one of the areas we need to change" said he.

Tinubu noted that Agriculture must be market oriented as well as move away from the subsistence farming being pracised by small holders farmers.

FG he said has initiated National Agriculture Growth Scheme -Agro-pocket where millions of farmers are supported with best agronomics training and inputs such as improved seeds, and organic and fertilizers cum irrigation equipment at highly subsidized prices towards food security.

As part of measure to ensure food sustainability, the president pointed that the FMAFS has put together the first ever harmonized Extension Munual in Nigeria to achieve effective dissemination of agricultural innovation/ technologies to end users.

Also speaking to Journalists during the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development from Cross River, Johnson Ebokpo Jnr supported the demand driven research for stakeholders at the value chains of Agriculture saying it would give a better understanding of farmers and others' technologies needed for food productivity and sustainability in Nigeria.

Other stakeholders expressed the need for  extension to go beyond public sector, but that private entities should also be involved.

Prof. Grace Adebo who spoke on mobilizating Agricultural extension and research for resilient generative agriculture and naturally based agri- production with marketing, stressed that there was a missing link among the stakeholders that had led to individuals acting without a uniform purpose towards food security.

Adebo pointed the need for effective extension in Nigeria to identify stakeholders, engagement in research that are generative with local content and participation of community farmers.

Mr. Rex Chapota speaking on leveraging digital potentials on agricultural extension and research said it would enhance being about to reach more farmers with availability of over 500 applications in agriculture adding the need for gender involvement balancing.