An expert in agriculture, Nuel Chinedu, has said Nigeria needs aggressive investments in the agricultural sector to overcome food crisis and challenges in the nation’s power sector.

He said federal and state governments should initiate aimed at encouraging investments in agriculture and reducing emphasis on oil, so as to save the nation and prepare for the challenges ahead.

Nuel, who is Chairman and Group Managing Director, Eastern House Development, told reporters in Enugu, yesterday, that only agriculture could pull the country out of the woods.

“Agricultural development is essential to any nation’s economic well being. There must be intensified effort towards ending poverty and ensuring food security, as well as feeding the increasing populace in the urban and rural communities,” he said.

He advised that efforts should move from construction of houses to farm estates, where available land should be used for agricultural purposes in commercial endeavours.

The Guardian recalled that the Federal Government had muted the idea of establishing farm estates last year in the 109 senatorial zones of the country, but one year after, Nigerians are yet to see the project.

But speaking on the development, Chinedu stated that he was already leading efforts to take the country away from building houses to providing real estate products solely for agricultural use.”

He said: “Increased investor interest suggests that there could be real potential in larger scale commercial investments in the continent. The key question is what type of investments do private developers and investors need to significantly grow Africa’s agricultural development?

“It means the development of ultramodern farmlands and farm settlements, poultries, fish farms, cattle ranches, and other agricultural facilities for rearing animals and cultivation of crops in commercial quantities.

“As in the traditional real estate sector, agricultural real estate will provide homes for animals husbandry in a gated distant estate to improve the nation’s agricultural output and boost food security.”