The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, lamented that Nigeria spends about $500 million yearly on the importation of dairy products, reiterating the need for the country to refocus on agriculture and production to drive growth and development.
The governor said this when he received a team of Heifer International, who was on a courtesy visit at the Government House, Benin City.
He noted that his administration prioritize agricultural production while sustaining investment in the sector to boost the state’s economy, tackle food insecurity and create wealth for citizens.
“We have a small state of about five million people, 70 per cent of the people are under the age of 35 years, and we need to make them know and understand that we do not have dollars to import food anymore as Nigeria spends about half a billion dollar importing dairy products.
“Food and food security are very huge, particularly protein sufficiency for the mass of our people, especially children. We are a rich country with a rich and huge population and at some point in our history, we turned from agricultural production as we found crude oil and felt we have enough petrol, naira, and dollars to keep ourselves going forgetting that sometimes in our life we need to produce what we will eat,” he said.
The governor explained that the country is impoverished by excessive importation, adding that the country could not continue to import what it has the resources to produce.
“My administration thrives on partnership. As a government, we see our role as one that enables things to happen. As enablers, we see our role as being able to mobilise resources, particularly human capacity, and knowledge, and direct them into areas of priority as we see.
“Interestingly, we have partners and we try to start something in the area of agriculture but have some difficulties and are making efforts to tackle them. We have gotten a commitment from our partners to invest in a modern farm from where we will propagate day-old chicks and get them into the market,” he said.
He said the state’s “relationship with Heifer International is cherished” as 79 years of existence and knowledge is not a small feat to achieve
“And we are excited you are here to see what we are doing and will do our best to utilise this opportunity of our partnership,” he stated.
The leader of the delegation, Hilary Haddigan, while commending the government’s commitment to ensuring food security said: “We represent over 500 partners and donors that support our work. Our vision is to end poverty and care for the Earth while our mission is to support 10 million smallholder farmers.
“We have met with farmers in the state who are preparing to receive poultry products. We thank you for bringing happiness to the lives of smallholder farmers here in Edo and would like to partner with your administration.”
