Business
By Anthony Isibor
THE stakeholders in the agro and food processing industry have harped on the importance of agriculture to national development.
Some of the stakeholders, who spoke in Lagos at the Nigeria Agrofood and Nigeria Plastprintpack conference, agreed that agriculture is crucial to the growth and security of any nation.
The stakeholders included former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Weert Borner; German Consul General in Nigeria, Wouter Plomp; Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Maurizio Ferri; Trade commissioner for Italian trade agency, Prof Kehinde Olusola, Vice Chancellor Federal University of Nigeria Abeokuta, FUNAB, representatives of the federal ministries of Agriculture and health, representative of Nigeria Agency for Food Administration and Control, among others.
In his opening remark, Weert Borner noted that the German government supports the Nigeria Agrofood fair because it is a success story.
According to him, there have been several technological developments by the German government, which are being used in several countries, including Nigeria for improvement in agriculture.
He, however, called on Nigeria to build up its own agriculture so that it can be self-sufficient.
Prof Olusola, on the other hand, noted that the institution has and will remain in the forefront of the advancement of agricultural development in Nigeria through research in technology.
However, Former President Obasanjo called on the players in the industry to make agriculture more glamorous for youths to find it attractive.
For him, agriculture is the heartbeat of any nation and the country must be willing to do anything to break the old beliefs that the industry is poor and belongs to the elderly.
The conference, which is the 9th edition, also featured the exhibition of finished products and agricultural equipment.
Some of the companies, who spoke to Realnews expressed confidence that this year’s event would lead to strategic partnerships with other similar businesses as well as lead to improved sales.
For instance, Henry Tunde, a sales representative for E-One Machinery and Services Co. Ltd and one of the exhibitors at the event told Realnews that for them, it is a marketing strategy.
“Look around you, everyone is here to either sell or buy. “We are here to sell and we are dealers in all kinds of liquid packaging machines. What we have here (pointing to a gigantic equipment) is a water packaging machine.
He noted that the event, which is held each year, has also helped the company to meet other companies from around the globe and exchange ideas as well as meet new potential clients.
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-March 28, 2024 @ 10:32 GMT|
Tags: FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo Maurizio Ferri Nigeria Agrofood Nigeria Plastprintpack Prof Kehinde Olusola Weert Borner Wouter Plomp
