The Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture Murtala Dabo says the country has no business importing rice, wheat and other produce especially putting into consideration Nigeria’s huge youthful population.
According to him, Nigeria is yet to tap into the agricultural value chain for several reasons including a lack of focus.
Dabo spoke on Tuesday when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s special 64th Independence Day programme, tagged: “Nigeria’s Challenging Economy: Strategies For Recovery”.
He said that some of the small-holder farmers lack the required inputs such as fertilizer.
The commissioner also said there is a lack of value in the agricultural produce exported from the country, while noting that the only way out is for us to refocus.
“So, what we need to do as a people, deliberately, is that we must add value.
“We must add value. When we do that, we stand to gain a lot. By adding value, we have at least three times what we used to get now.”