Agriculture
ECONOMICALLY displaced persons in the country have been urged to see farming as a way to financial freedom that can help them stabilise their livelihood.
Mr Amaechi Ojukwu, the Chief Executive Officer, PAO Farms and Agro Allied Industries Ltd., Ekwulummiri, Nnewi South Council Area of Anambra, gave the advice in an interview with the news Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.
Ojukwu said that farming guaranteed food supply for such people and the members of their family with high chances of earning income for surplus produce.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic, which had hit Nigeria since February had worsened food supply as the nation’s international borders had been closed to importation of food.
Ojukwu also a Lagos-based businessman, said that he went into farming because of the realisation that there was food deficit in Nigeria judging by the amount of money that was spent on imported food.
“I am a businessman in Lagos, as a matter of fact, I still have business there but here I am doing farming.
“We have mass of land that are not cultivated, if fully employed, the arable in the South East alone can feed the entire nation and there will still be surplus to export out of the country.
“PAO is into crop and livestock farming, the improves seedlings guarantees regular harvest and the market is there, people need food items which are very expensive because of shortage in supply.
“I want to encourage my people who are idle, wasting their time in the cities, to come and take farming as a business. It is a noble occupation and the best way to fight poverty and hunger,” he said.
Ojukwu said farmers needed financial and technical support to enable them maximise the productive potential.
He also called for more investment in agro input in the South East to enable farmers have access to cheap and available allied products needed for high yield farming.
“We need money, we need quality seedlings, cheap and quality herbicides, insecticides and fertiliser to enhance our productivity.
“We also need to protect our farms from the activities of herdsmen whose cows are destroying people’s farmlands produce,’’ he said.
NAN
– July 03, 2020 @ 16:45 GMT
Tags: Embrace farming for financial stability – agriculturist tells unemployed
