THE 2019 WET season Agricultural Performance Survey (APS), has been officially presented to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS).
The survey conducted and drafted by NAERLS, in collaboration with other agricultural institutions such as the Agricultural Development Programme (ADPs) of the 36 states, Nigerian Institute for Horticultural Research (NIHORT), Institute for Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), among others highlights the agricultural activities carried out from 25th August to 1st September 2019.
The presentation was done by the Executive Secretary, NAERLS, Professor Mohammed Othman to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammad Sabo Nanono, at the minister’s office, in Abuja, last Thursday.
Speaking during the presentation, Nanono expressed satisfaction with Nigeria’s agricultural sector, stating that the country has achieved an impressive 80% performance in the sector.
He said the level of performance was determined by the survey which was carried out by NAERLS.
“We are not doing badly. I hope next year we will reach the real mark,” he said.
In his remarks, Nanono said, “As we are going into a phase in the sector, I think we should be in a position to know what to focus on in each state and how many persons to get involved within our activities with the help of data. This will now allow us to plan well. So, I think it is a welcome development.”
“Nigeria is largely an agricultural country with vast opportunities to produce for export but we are nowhere close to our potential. I do not think we have reached up to 10 percent of our potential in agriculture,” he added.
He further stressed the importance of data in improving the agriculture sector, adding that the Federal Government will ensure it supports every research institution in the country.
The survey which employed a participatory approach, combined qualitative and quantitative techniques in data generation and these included consultations and dialogues with stakeholders, questionnaire survey, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and interviews.
Nineteen multidisciplinary teams of three scientists each, making 57 scientist, carried out the exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In every state, two ADP zones were selected for visit, while each zone had two LGAs selected and one community selected per LGA.
In each community, five farmers were interviewed with focus group discussions held. Extensive discussions were held with the ADPs staff, ministries’ officials and staff of other relevant agencies.
The final sessions were to validate the data generated and findings that were held at the end of each state visit with officials of the state ADP and Ministry of Agriculture.
SOURCE: TRIBUNE
