The President, Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Judith Rodin, on Tuesday said that the organisation was partnering with the Federal Government in
its Agriculture Transformation Agenda to enable the country reduce its food import bill.
its Agriculture Transformation Agenda to enable the country reduce its food import bill.
Figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria showed that as at 2011, Nigerians spent about N630bn importing agriculture products.
Of the figure, wheat accounted for the highest import bill with N165bn, while fish (N105bn), rice (N75bn), and sugar (N60bn) followed in that order.
But Rodin said except the country embraced agriculture as a business, the huge unemployment rate among the youth would continue to increase.
She said Nigeria had the capacity to be the agricultural hub of Africa and the continent’s leader in food production.
She said this during a meeting on financing agriculture with the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and her counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina.
Also present at the meeting was the Interim Chairman, Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, Mr. Strive Masiyiwa, and Vice-President, Global Communications, Rockefeller, Mr. Neill Coleman.
The Rockefeller boss said that the foundation would assist the Federal Government to boost productivity in the agricultural sector through initiatives that would focus more on agriculture value chain.
She said, “The Rockefeller Foundation has a long history in understanding how to promote a green revolution. Fifty years ago, we worked in South East Asia on how to create the green revolution in Asia and to also create a reduction in hunger and food insecurity.
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