…says flooding impacting distribution of agricultural produce
Determined to check the hazardous effect of flooding on the country’s agricultural sector, an integrated agro-business company, First Aquagrico Farms Nig. Ltd, has approached the Bank of Agriculture for its planned establishment of Africa’s largest farmers’ market.
The firm noted that it had undertaken a study and survey of the agricultural sector in Nigeria, and discovered that one of the major causes leading to the decrease in growth of the agricultural sector, especially in the second quarter of 2022 with a growth of 1.20% as against 3.16% of the previous quarter was owing to poor merchandise of the agricultural produce.
“It is reckoned that the situation will worsen with the hazardous climatic changes and flooding which have a major impact on the distribution and marketability of agricultural produce,” the Nigerian agro-allied entity said in a letter to the Managing Director of the BoA, Alwan Hassan, on Tuesday.
Flood had of late ravaged parts of the country such as Kogi, Niger, Anambra, Benue, Sokoto, Adamawa, Delta, amongst places known for large production of agriculture produce. Many hectares of farmlands were washed away while major bridges were cut off by flood, submerging trucks and trailers carrying food stuffs.
The firm said it had the solution to the problem with modern preservation and transportation techniques to stop post-cultural losses.
“The primary objective of setting in motion Africa’s Largest Farmers’ Market in Nigeria is to create an all-in-one agricultural market-hub which encompasses gathering, re-distributing, storing, processing and exporting of agro-products.
“The concept is to enhance the promotion of large scale commercial agriculture in Africa through a process that maximises profit while sustainably satisfying the needs of consumers. In addition, the concept will assuredly make a great impact in the country’s agricultural sector by boosting food supply, creating jobs, raising incomes, reducing malnutrition and contributing to the progress of the continent’s agro-economy,” the letter partly read.
The letter was issued by the firm’s Managing Director, Kolapo Talabi, through its solicitors and acknowledged by the BoA in Abuja on Wednesday.
The firm, which focuses on galvanising agriculture for national economic development through the creation of markets for farmers both locally and internationally, says it believes in large scale agriculture produce merchandise.
