APC prioritises food security – Professor Umar
By Chima Azubuike
Wife of the Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Professor Hafsat Umar, on Monday, said food security remains top priority of the ruling party, saying that outside survival which agriculture yields, poverty, and hunger would be stamped out.
Umar who was Chairperson at the eighth National Conference & Annual General Meeting of Crop Science Society of Nigeria, which held at Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State.
Our correspondent reports that the AGM had the theme; Sustainable crop production and security under the emerging environment challenges in Nigeria.
She said, “It pleases me, to inform you that crop sustainability will help to reduce poverty, hunger and starvation. Indeed, Agriculture is one of the most important factors for any meaningful socio-economic development of a nation.
“Agriculture is one of the cardinal and most important as far as this country is concerned. It’s one of the most important in the manifesto of the APC, because without food we can’t survive.”
Speaking earlier, Society’s President, Professor Michael Uguru, urged representatives of government institutions to harness the wealth of knowledge that would be shared during the technical session, stressing that if adequate attention was paid to the sector poverty would be mitigated.
“There is no gain saying that if sufficient attention is given to crop agriculture, Nigeria will have no business with poverty and unemployment. Many of the industries in Nigeria are crop based and their abysmal failure to perform in recent years is largely due to lack of raw materials, the farm produce,” Uguru added.
On his part, Vice Chancellor of FUK, who doubles as Chief host, Professor Umaru Pate, presented a paper on the ‘Role of media in agricultural development in Nigeria called for the establishment of community-based broadcast stations to amplify challenges, advantages of the sector to the society.
“The way forward is the establishment of community-based broadcast stations, with strong collaborations and partnerships between stakeholders in agriculture and the media across the country. Support capacity enhancement efforts for media professionals to fully understand issues.
“Media organisations are encouraged to have active agriculture desks, units and teams. Encourage the Nollywood sector to devote interest and attention to agriculture in their films,” Pate added.
Our correspondent reports that Professor B. M Auwalu presented on the ‘Role of underutilised crops in improving food and nutrition security in Nigeria’, While I. U. Abubakar and A. A. Sadiq presented on ‘New and innovative technologies for sustainable crop production and youth empowerment’.
