The Federal Government (FG) is ready to galvanise and reposition agriculture in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Vice-President (VP) Kashim Shettima said this during his official visit to IITA in Ibadan on Tuesday.
Shettima said the FG was ready to embrace modern science and technology in agriculture, hence the visit to establish a partnership with IITA.
According to him, the whole idea is to increase yield via science, knowing that entrepreneur capitalism is embedded in the thinking of the average Nigerian.
“We are here for a real partnership with IITA, which, actually, is a game changer in the agriculture ecosystem towards supporting our smallholder farmers with improved seeds.
“Of course, the mechanisation process is going round, and the Federal Government is importing a lot of tractors and intermediate technology,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that in a few months, the relationship between the FG and IITA would blossom and begin to yield positive results.
The VP acknowledged that IITA had always paraded the best of scientists in the world but that the Nigerian government had, over the years, not truly utilised the institute’s potential.
“It is better late than never.
“This is why the president instructed me, the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, and the SSA on Agriculture for Security and Community Relations to come and give a live account of what we see here,” Shettima said.
He concluded he was impressed by what he saw in IITA.
Earlier, the Director-General of IITA, Dr Simeon Ehui, had emphasised the importance of the visit and the institute’s role in transforming food security in Nigeria.
Ehui said IITA remained committed to supporting the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda through innovative research, capacity building and technology transfer.
He said these were set to transform agriculture, making it drive economic growth and food security for all Nigerians.
The VP was taken around some facilities and shown different value-added chains of cassava and yam products.
NAN
