Speaking to newsmen at the weekend during a press briefing held at AgriTech City Resort owned by XtraLarge Farms in Ogun State, Mr. Seyi Abimbola Davids explained that if government and the Organized Private Sector encourages agriculture business more with soft loans, more people will come into agriculture business.
According to the XtraLarge Farms CEO, “Its important that we encourage agriculture in this part of the world. Let there be softer loans, maybe single-digit that farmers can use. If you have to give farmers double-digit loans, how will they repay?
“For example, if a farmer gets a double-digit loan to plant rice, I don’t know how much he will sell the rice and still be able to repay the loan. The best we can do in this country is to make available soft loans for farmers in-order to encourage agricultural business.
“There are economies in other climes where they give their farmers five percent, and these farmers do better. How do we compete with countries that give their farmers five percent? These are the issues.
“Agriculture must be encouraged by Governments at all levels and the organized private sector for it to thrive in Nigeria.”
On AgricTech City, Mr. Seyi Abimbola Davids explained that the resort which is very close to Lagos, affords guests opportunity to relax while listening and seeing the sights, sounds and taste of Africa.
“XtraLarge Farms and Resort which we call AgricTech City is a place where we used technology in agriculture. We display technology in agricultural business here.
“AgricTech City is a place to rest, relax and be healed. It’s a place to take care of your system. There are so many incentives here for different kinds of people. We have different kind of Tea for people with High Blood pressure.
“AgricTech City is a place for nature, no alcohol. Apart from the sounds from the birds, you won’t hear any other sound. The purpose of this place is to tell everybody that there is a place called AgriTech City where people can have maximum relaxation and also take care of their health.
“Over the years, I have learnt that the moment anybody is 15years old, he or she needs to start checking his or her health. Many of the foods that we buy outside there in the market are not truly what they look like.
“I am a farmer and I know all this. For example, the fufu that people eat, some are soaked with detergent. Some has Chlorine component. For somebody who doesn’t know, he or she will keep eating and one day will have Liver issues.
“Look at Palm-Oil, it is being mixed with terrible things. These are issues that we cannot stop. All we can do is to eat rightly.
“I once attended a Food Fair abroad, and we were showed a machine that you can put livestock’s that you want to sell inside. If you put the livestock, maybe Chicken inside the machine, and add water, the machine will transfer the water inside the chicken. So when you want to sell such chicken, which is always measured by scale, the chicken will become heavier and you sell at a higher price.
“However, when the buyer gets home and starts cutting the chicken, he will discover that it was just over-bloated with water, and has no such weight as indicated by the scale,” the XtraLarge Farms and Res.irt CEO told newsmen
and then