THE Federal Government has expressed concern over the use of N1.3 trillion annually for the importation of basic consumable items such as sugar, fish and rice, saying the situation is unacceptable and detrimental to the agriculture sector and the economic development of country.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, said this in Benin City, Edo State, on Monday, during the maiden Edo State Agric Business Investment Summit, tagged EDO AGRIBIS 2012, organised by the state government, in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Adesina said in spite of Nigeria’s natural resources and arable land, its farmers were still rated among the world’s poorest, compared to their counterparts in America and Asia, just as he pointed out that the situation was an aberration that required systematic approach by the stakeholders and government.

The minister, who gave a graphic presentation of the statistics, said Nigeria, with its vast resources, had no business importing food.
According to him, the potential of Nigeria’s agriculture sector today stood at N99 billion, with the possibility to hit $256 billion in 2030, just

as he observed that the transformation action plan of the Federal Government was to make Nigerians sustainable in food production.

On his part, the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, described the presentation as convincing, but expressed reservation on its translation into form by the government.

The governor said his administration was ready to provide free land to farmers who were willing to come to the state to complement efforts of the Federal Government on food sustainability.

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