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The South-South Regional Coordinator of the commission, Mrs. Azuka Ikejiofor, who stated this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during a one-day stakeholders export interactive forum on “Exporting Non-Oil Products From Nigeria,” stressed that the country is a major resource centre of raw materials for foreign countries, stressing that increase in the output of agricultural products and other productive base materials would contribute to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
To achieve the target, Ikejiofor called for more focus on agriculture through empowerment of farmers.
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According to her: “The way to revamp the economy is to diversify it through productive base. There are so many sectors in the productive base, first is the development of agriculture.
“Government should focus more on empowering farmers and farmers in turn, should form cooperatives and engage the services of government agencies to facilitate proper development of local products, so that the products will gain international recognition.
“ When the productive base of the economy is developed and expanded, it will create jobs for unemployed youths and through it, funds will be generated, which will further improve the livelihood of the people and also contribute to the national GDP.”
Also speaking, the Zonal Coordinator, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Mrs. Adewole Philomina, urged the participants to apply required good agricultural practices for food safety.
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