Worried about the level of health damage the consumption of unwholesome food has done to Nigerians, stakeholders have intensified efforts to scale up organic farming in the country.

Speaking at an event organised by the Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria, the President of the body, Victor Idowu Olugbemiga Olowe, said organic agriculture relies mostly on what can be produced within the system and does not depend on external inputs, thereby ensuring consumption of wholesome food.

He suggested the need to eat wholesome foods that have not been treated with synthetic inputs, which are harmful to health. “Organic Agriculture is not expensive though it could be labour intensive at the beginning, but overtime, it becomes easy and the gains are there, unlike the synthetic fertilizer we apply under conventional system with urea being the major source of nitrogen nutrient that farmers use and you only get your returns in a season.”

Also speaking, the Vice President, Olugbenga Adeoluwa, said the association is on a good track as far as organic agriculture is concerned, as policies are in place that would support organic agriculture.

Adeoluwa noted that Nigeria has a lot of forest reserves and wild life reserves that can easily position it on the map when it comes to organic beekeeping, but the right policies are needed.

He stressed the need for quality control given the influx of all manners of things called organic in terms of food, products and cosmetics,

The Vice President lamented that government agencies don’t have what it takes to address this issue, but once government finally approves the organic policy, it would rectify all the issues to ensure that everything works well.

A member of the Board of Trustees, Gideon Olajire, stated that advocacy has gone round the country to level up with the rest of the world, because of the negative consequences of chemicalised agriculture.

“It’s a principle of health and it’s a leap up from our natural cultivation with scientific background as it’s done in the world with the association playing a pivotal role, as well as partner with international organisations.”