Business
Expert Urges FG To Make Agric Attractive

Local Government workers of Rivers State on protest to the Rivers State House of Assembly for House Support to the Local Government Autonomy in the Nigerian Constitution Amendment. Photo: Chris Monyanaga
The Federal Government has been called upon to make agriculture more attractive to Nigerian youth in an effort to tackle the issue of unemployment in the country.
Prof. Malachy Akoroda, the Executive Director, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), stated this in an interview with The Tide source on Thursday in Abuja.
Akoroda said government must provide sufficient fund in order to attract more youths to the agricultural sector and to tackle the issue of unemployment in the country.
He urged the Federal and State Governments to make meaningful investment in agriculture to generate employment for the teeming youths and to ensure sustainable development of the economy.
“Encouraging the young people into farming should be an ongoing task for the government and agriculture sector in the country. Farming requires material, men and money.
“ Material in the sense that there are varieties of good products out there and money to pay for inputs that would be required at different stages of the value chain.
“Youth needs these three things to go into farming; wherever any youth get these three things from the government, it makes it possible to go in agriculture,’’ he said.
Akoroda said that agriculture remained the only means of generating jobs, if only various state governments could assist the Federal Government to sensitise the youth to embrace farming.
“We want to see agriculture everywhere across the country to replace oil.
“ There are many countries that do not have oil, but depend solely on agriculture because agriculture is profitable.’’
Akoroda, however, urged stakeholders and investors to take advantage of the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme of the Federal Government and invest in agriculture.
Business
USTR Criticises Nigeria’s Import Ban On Agriculture, Others
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
Business
Expert Seeks Cooperative-Driven Investments In Agriculture
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
Business
NACCIMA Proposes Hybrid Oil Palm Seedlings For Farmers
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor
-
News5 days ago
Edo Councils Restrict Movement Of Motorbike Riders
-
Maritime4 days ago
Twenty-Four-Hour Port Operations Achievable, If -Nweke
-
Niger Delta12 hours ago
Engage Intellectually On Ijaw Struggle, Dep Gov Urges IYC
-
Niger Delta5 days ago
AfDB President Pledges Investment In C’River’s Health, Agric Sectors
-
Opinion5 days ago
Nigeria Police And The “Miscreants” Theory
-
Business12 hours ago
Include Adolescent Nutrition In National Policy – Nutritionist
-
Politics11 hours ago
Oborevwori, Okowa Dump PDP For APC
-
News5 days ago
unpaid salaries: Abia teachers to begin strike Thursday