Senate tasks research firms, agencies on agriculture

The Senate Committee on Agriculture yesterday said diversifying the Nigerian economy would require huge investments and improvement in agricultural researches to boost the nation’s potential in that sector.

It charged all public and private research firms to conduct researches capable of uplifting agriculture in the country. The committee which paid an official visit to some research firms in Abuja at the weekend noted that the solution to Nigeria’s food security challenges would be best addressed through radical improvement in agricultural researches.

Chairman of the committee, Abdullahi Adamu, however expressed satisfaction at the research facilities in one of the firms visited and declared that government must take steps to encourage such ventures that would boost its diversification effort.

“My first impression here at Contec Agro Laboratory is that the research work being undertaken here is one of the best kept secrets of the agriculture initiative and research towards meeting Nigeria’s food crisis,” he said.

While commending the management for the robust research facilities for organic agricultural products, he added that the future was great while Nigerians looked forward to government’s encouragement to meet the requirement of these facilities.

In his response, Managing Director of Contec Global Agro Limited, Mr. Thomas Chackunkal, said the Ministry of Science and Technology alloated four hectares of land to the company to build integrated bio fertilizer and pesticides factories in Abuja.