Agric businesses have become the growth engine of the food industry, the Director-General (DG), Premier Agribusiness Academy, Mr. Toromade Francis, has said.
TAs a result, there is a need to accelerate innovation – by providing know-how, processes, technologies, and expertise to help overcome challenges, nurture development, and launch new products into the market.
According to him, the academy will share the latest technologies and best practices with farmers and agro entrepreneurs to drive innovation in food production. Francis, who is also the business development consultant for Rome Business School and a facilitator at Lagos Business School, said the institution offered short executive courses, poultry management courses, aquaculture management and consultancy services to farmers.
He said the programme was designed to deliver top quality agricultural training that would empower Nigerians with livelihood skills.
Francis: “Academy network ozf technical experts will provide training, advice and support to growers. Demonstration plots and field trials will complement the work of the academy around the country Through the academy, we can foster deeper relationships and collaboration with the industry, local government and the academia. Together, we will address common challenges facing today’s agri entrepreneurs.”
He added:“The key is agribusiness. It is not enough to know the technical aspect of agriculture or study agriculture in school. To become successful and profitable in agriculture, there is a need for farmers to acquire knowledge of the business side of agriculture which is what Premier Agribusiness Academy offers.
“All over the world, people are no longer talking about agriculture, the stress is on agribusiness because that is where profit lies.
“For farmers to be profitable, they need to acquire knowledge of strategies to market their products effectively manage their human, capital and material resources. All these competences are what the academy offers in its courses.”
The programme, according to him, will cover agribusiness value chain, risk assessment, farm produce branding, marketing, packaging, finance, business models and business planning to name a few.
He urged farmers to take advantage of the academy’s forthcoming training on “Creative Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills for Decision Making” coming up on October, at the Sheraton Hotels and Suites, Ikeja, Lagos to further increase their knowledge in agribusiness management.
SOURCE: THE NATION