The National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture, NACCIMA, Chief Bassey Edem, has charged the Federal Government to improve the operating environment for businesses to grow in the country.
Edem canvassed the need for the government has to take deliberate steps to improve provision and/or facilitation of access to security, power, finance, processing, storage and marketing facilities.
In addition, he also said that the Government should focus on appropriate policy formulation strategies and to secure the active involvement of the private sector in policy implementation to ensure sustainability of agricultural programmes.
He added that there was also the need for a Committee of relevant stakeholders to agree and develop a strategic roadmap for agricultural development that can outlive successive governments in order to avoid policy summersault in the event of change of government.
Edem lamented that despite the involvement of over 60 per cent of her population in agriculture, agriculture in Nigeria still remained focused on food crops for the domestic market, while the country continued as a net importer of food largely because of the small scale nature of agricultural operations.
The NACCIMA boss charged the Government to develop a deliberate policy of restricting importation of agricultural products that can be produced locally in Nigeria and provide incentives for large scale mechanized farming to create employment, achieve increased productivity and self-sufficiency in food production for local consumption and export.
According to him, if pursued vigorously this strategy would save the country scarce foreign exchange expended on importation of food, estimated at over $50 billion annually.
He clarified: “There should also be a deliberate policy for the protection of local investors against dumping.Government should encourage complimentary investments in the various aspects of the agricultural value- chain, such as land clearing, seed production, fertilizer distribution, storage, processing and marketing.
“This way there will be economies of scale, increase in production capacity and low cost of production. It should facilitate access to affordable financing and develop/or facilitate the development of infrastructure that support and enhance agricultural production and profitability.
“These include construction and/or maintenance of rural or feeder roads, facilitation of transportation services, and ensuring that funding gets to the right farmers/quarters.
He also advocated the development of a National Policy on Grazing and re-create designated grazing fields across the country, to forestall regular clashes between cattle rearers and farmers as well as review the existing Land Tenure System and ensure availability of land for large scale investment in mechanized agriculture