The Director, Agricbusiness Incubation Centre, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, (MOUAU), Dr Philips Nto has advocated aggressive farming by all adult Nigerians as a practical step towards curbing food insecurity.
He said Nigerians must farm what to eat and eat what they farm”, if they must overcome the existential threat of shortage of food.
Speaking when he received some farmers in his office, Nto enjoined Nigerians to ensure that they farmed even at home to raise basic food such as vegetable, yam, and cassava.
He noted that his Centre has been at the forefront of educating Nigerians on the basics of home farming to meet their individual needs.
He noted that the initiative of the First Lady,Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for people to raise gardens within the vicinity of their homes ,perfectly aligns with the philosophy of Agricbusiness Incubation Centre ( ABIC).
” I believe the First Lady has blazed the trail for Nigerians. ABIC has also been propagating the same thing through radio programme and physical training activities: he submitted.
Dr Nto ,who is a former Commissioner for Finance in Abia state, declared that given the vast arable land available to Nigerians and the glut of manpower, they have no reason to complain of hunger.
He said that while the government has the responsibility to create the enabling environment for mechanised and commercial farming, most Nigerians should be able to grow their own food from home.
He disclosed that as a means of encouraging farming and agriculture, generally, ABIC would be organising competitions among farmers in various communities and local government areas.
According to him, “in my own community of Ututu, I have instituted an annual award for best male and female farmers with a cash award of One million Naira, just to motivate them ”
The Director, who is also the immediate past Provost of Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu, said ABIC would partner with notable agro business giants for sponsorship of such competitions at the state level.
He commended the farmers for visiting ABIC to see things for themselves, saying that MOUAU Vice Chancellor, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe has provided all the enabling environment for optimum performance of the centre.
Earlier, the leader of the farmers, Chief Ogba Nwokoro, lauded Dr Nto for the able manner he has piloted the affairs of ABIC since his appointment as the Director.
He noted that Abia people had benefited immensely from the educative radio programme mounted by ABIC and urged the director to find a way of physically reaching the remote areas and preach the gospel of agriculture to them
Nwokoro, who is a retired permanent secretary in Abia state, said they were satisfied with what they had learnt from ABIC through the visit
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