The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Ondo State chapter has expressed concern over the slow pace of development in Nigeria’s agriculture sector, saying it is unfortunate that the country still depends on others to feed itself at age 62. The state AFAN Chairman, Mr. Abayomi Monilari, during an interactive session with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday stressed that it was sad that Nigeria at 62 years old still depends largely on foreign nations to survive. Monilari, who doubles as the President, Ondo State Farmers Congress, compared Nigeria to a 62-year- old man who still depends on others to survive. His words, “It is unfortunate that with the number of years of existence as a nation, Nigeria is still importing agricultural products from neighbouring countries. “It is not a good omen that the country relies on importing agricultural products, in spite of the expanse of arable lands that it is endowed with. “We ought to have improved beyond this pedestal level. The government should do something, if possible, ban everything ‘banable’. “By the time we suffer for a year, we will get to the promised land. We need to put up a lot of sacrifices to be able to achieve any tangible thing as far as food production is concerned. “If we believe we should be importing, it won’t allow us to grow. We need to grow agriculturally. We have neglected some important things in the past which could have made the agricultural sector grow.” However, Monilari pointed out that eyes seem to have opened to reality now, urging the government to encourage farmers more to take agriculture to the next level. “When we talk of rice, we can produce it, if we have an enabling environment. There is no need to import rice. “I think we should forget about importing anything called agricultural product; we should be self-reliant,” he added.
