Norway’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Baera, has expressed his country’s commitment to supporting agribusiness initiatives in Nigeria.
Speaking at the Norway-Nigeria Agribusiness Forum in Abuja, Baera highlighted the importance of agriculture and agribusiness, emphasizing the need to enhance productivity through mechanization.
He disclosed Norway’s support for research programs on climate-friendly fish feed for Nigerian fish farming, and highlighted Norfund’s $12 million investment in a cocoa processing plant in Ibadan.
The ambassador also underscored Norway’s collaboration with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to make farming in the North East more sustainable.
During his presentation, Ambassador Baera urged a shift from merely talking about “agri-culture” to focusing more on “agri-business.”
He emphasized the role of mechanization in revolutionizing the agricultural sector in Nigeria, suggesting it as a key way to increase productivity.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, represented by A. M Adebiyi, the director of the agribusiness and marketing department in the ministry, identified inadequate funding as a major obstacle to agricultural development in the country.
He also pointed out challenges such as unstable market prices and multiple taxation affecting the sector. Sen. Kyari called for partnerships and collaboration, particularly in areas like capacity building, technology transfer, training, and investment.
Jafar Umar, the Director General of Nigeria Agribusiness Group, stressed the importance of increasing mechanization in farming, highlighting that around 80% of farmers in Nigeria are engaged in small-scale farming.
He urged a reexamination of the business and financing model to make it more affordable.
Source: Daily Trust