The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the head of Audu Ogbe said that the federal government is obliged to revise agriculture as one of the elements of the country's national development.
The head of Ogbeh, who made this famous during the inauguration of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Institute for Soil Science in Abuja recently, reiterated the need to use the results of research and development institutions in Nigeria to increase the country's internal capacity in the country, especially in the agricultural sector.
He noted that the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARI) and the Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FGC) throughout the country should always consider the soil as a fundamental element of their research / training activities.
The applicant noted that the creation of the Institute is also an important step in achieving the country's desire to increase food production, as well as to ensure effective transformation and promotion of the use of soil, land and other resources.
According to him, “there is no doubt that Nigeria as a nation faces the challenge of turning the monoproduct economy into a diversified economy, where the non-oil sectors will play a more important role in stimulating the growth of the nation.
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“The agricultural sector is one of those areas where Nigeria, with its rich human and natural resources, has high comparative advantages. In line with the vision of the current federal government agricultural policy, it is expected that the effective functioning of the Institute will provide a stronger institutional framework for promoting agricultural development as a source of income for the country.
Ogbeh, who explained that scientists recognized soil erosion restrictions, poor soil fertility maintenance, lack of data on soil resources and soil maps, as factors contributing to declining agricultural production, said that the only noticeable actions taken on the soil in all these programs there was a supply of fertilizers at subsidized prices.
At the same time, he reiterated the urgent need for a well-designed scientific soil management strategy to combat degradation and ensure the continued use of soil for increasing and sustainably growing crops.
