Muhammad Kabir KANO 
T
he Vice-Chancellor, Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Prof. Shehu Alhaji Musa, yesterday canvassed renewed structural national action plan on agriculture to mitigate post COVID-19 pandemic impact on the nation’s food security and growth.
Besides, the renowned agro-economist suggested appropriate interwitch between the burden of life, livelihood and liberty in the era of pandemic as the nation struggled to survive the imposition of lockdown, which invariably slowed down economic viability and food production in the country.
Addressing journalists on the global pandemic and its potential impact on the agric sector, Musa explained that government and concerned stakeholders had the responsibility of strengthening farmers’ capacity to feed the nation sufficiently.
The vice-chancellor, who believed that the pandemic had undoubtedly slowed down food production and had affected economic activities in the country, however, expressed optimism that the nation could still recovered from the lost session and sufficiently feed itself, if necessary mechanism were put in place.
Suggesting the way forward, the vice-chancellor advocated for the supply of agricultural inputs and technology to farmers to increase production. He tasked appropriate authorities to use the advantage of the onset of rain to resuscitate and adopt irrigation farming to diversify production.
“At this critical time in the existence of the entity called Nigeria, we must understand and appreciate the impact of border closure ordered by Federal Government. It is better imagine what could have happened if the country is still depending on food importation when the global economy was at its lowest ebb. Many developed countries now shut their borders to avoid the spread of COVID-19. That could have been double tragedy for Nigeria.”
“But, we just have to double the capacity of our farmers to produce more as the nation gradually battles the reality of post-COVID-19. We need to increase the level of extension services’ workers to educate farmers. We need to build linkages between research institutes and farmer groups to multiply production.
“Our abandoned irrigation farming need to be resuscitated and it is high time Nigeria adopted technological farming like green house agriculture and mechanisation. Again, we know government has done a lot in the area of intervention, especially the anchor borrower’s scheme, yet government needs to do more, essentially in funding agricultural inputs for farmers”.
