Head of Forestry Department, University of Uyo, Dr. Eteakamba Ukpong, has advocated effective collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and research institutions in solving the myriad of problems plaguing the agriculture sector.
He decried the situation where institutions and organizations work in isolation while attempting to solve a collective economic challenge, describing the approach as counter-productive.
This is just as he emphasized the futility of efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture trying to provide solutions to several problems faced by farmers, without consulting institutions that should conduct research and systematic investigation into same, establish facts, reach new conclusions and proffer appropriate recommendations for application.
Ukpong said that the dearth of information from the ministry on prevailing agricultural challenges faced by the society impelled the universities to create problems and projects, and subsequently embark on researches that are not useful for national development.
“On our shelves are research works that have been published in reputable journals, but the results of such researches do not impact directly on the society, and are consequently not useful for the growth of the agriculture sector or the development of the economy”, he said.