Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, has decried the decline in the agricultural extension system, over the years, as the bane of food production and job creation in the country.
According to Abubakar, the situation continued to have a spiral effect thereby exposing the nation to the dangers of unemployment, youth restiveness and economic instability.
Abubakar, represented by Mrs Bilikis Abdulateef, stated this at the Ibadan leg of the opening ceremony of the training of 75,000 extension agents being held across the 36 states of the country.
Speaking, Abubakar lamented that the fortunes of the agricultural extension system, over the years, declined due to decreased funding, policy changes, reduced manpower and lack of interest of young people in agricultural entrepreneurship.
The Agric Minister, however, said the training of extension agents by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is towards halting the drift in the agricultural extension system and helping in the revitalisation of the Nigerian economy.
He, especially, charged the participants to key into the desire of the Federal Government that our agricultural extension delivery system meets global competitiveness.
This, Abubakar noted, is to ensure there is adequate food for our population and to augment our foreign earnings.
He added that the training was in line with the commitment of the Federal Government to building the capacity of youths and existing practitioners in the agricultural extension delivery system, exposing and equipping them with best global practices and tools to enable them to deliver with efficiency.
Abubakar said: “Agriculture extension delivery is the driver of all agricultural policies and research, without which all effort in the agricultural ecosystem may not realise its intended goals.
“Over the years, the fortunes of the agricultural extension system has declined majorly due to decreased funding, policy changes, reduced manpower and lack of interest of young people in agricultural entrepreneurship.
“This situation has affected food production exposing the country to the dangers of unemployment, youth restiveness and economic instability.”
In his own remarks, Director, Federal Department of Agricultural Extension, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Frank Kudla said the training became expedient owing to a decline in the national agricultural extension delivery system.
Kudla, represented by Ayoade Oladele, decried the decrease in number of extension agents due to retirements, deaths and non-replacements, youth unwillingness to embrace agricultural entrepreneurship, the poor capacity of existing extension agents to deliver due to lack or low quality of training and general poor funding of the sub-sector.
He said the training is designed to empower participants with skills in the use of extension delivery methodologies and tools, as well as the best global practices in the agricultural value chains, as chosen by your state.
He added that the training will also provide beneficiaries with necessary logistics and reference manuals in tune with emerging technologies, innovations and practices in the sector.
Furthermore, he said the training will also expose participants to all aspects of extension methodologies, tools and good agricultural practices of selected value chains and prepare them to provide services to farmers, community-based advisors and facilitators.
He added that beneficiaries are expected to map farmers to themselves, conduct step-down training and prepare for future capacity building, input services and technology support to their farmers.
The training attracted participants from Agricultural Research Institutions, universities, colleges of Agriculture, private sector practitioners.
Oyo Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Adeniyi Adebisi, who also attended the opening ceremony, said the declining number of extension agents and low skills had hampered the adoption of best practices and new innovations in the agricultural sector.
He lamented the situation led to low productivity, lack of adherence to standards causing rejection of Nigerian produce abroad.
Adebisi noted that the training of agricultural extension agents will equip them with practical skills that will engender efficiency, more income and self-employment.
Director of extension services in Oyo state, Mrs Ibukunoluwa Iroko, urged the trainees to hand down the knowledge gained by training more people to be Agric extension workers.
She also demanded that the Federal Government sponsor the training of more agric extension agents in Oyo State.
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Decline in agric extension system affected food production ― Agric Minister
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