From Kemi Yesufu and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has identified the production and distribution of quality seeds to farmers in the country as key to creating more jobs for youths.
The speaker, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Turaki Hassan, said in order to boost agricultural output and create over 40 million jobs for the unemployed population, farmers must be supplied with quality seeds on time. Dogara, who visited Premier Seeds Nigeria Limited, Zaria, Kaduna State, also expressed strong belief that with coordinated support from the Executive and the Legislature for companies that produce and distribute high breed seeds to farmers, Nigeria would become food sufficient and the standard of living of its citizens would also improve.
“If revolution in agriculture must be successful, it must start with the production and distribution of quality seeds. Gone are the days when our parents used to plant grains as seed; apparently, we didn’t know that for you to have bumper harvest, it is not every grain that qualifies as seed for the farmer to plant.
“Agriculture has potential of being the highest employer of labour in this country. If we have small farms springing up across the nation, employing from to 25, 40 or more people, you can imagine if we have one million of those ventures, that would create between 40 to 70 million jobs and help us to deal with many vices, including insecurity, violence and the likes,” the speaker said. Dogara commended the company for the work they are doing for the nation by equipping farmers and providing them with the right seeds with which they can grow and feed the nation. He said the legislature will not hesitate to look at how the government and farmers can collaborate to ensure farmers in Nigeria get quality seeds.
“That is the challenge across the country; as we speak, apart from farmers around this facility, may be not too far away from here, I can guarantee that a lot of farmers outside this region are not even aware of the need to have quality seeds planted in order to have bumper harvest,” Dogara noted.