Government can Address Unemployment, Transform Economy Through Agriculture, Says Agric Expert, Oluwafemi Abioye

By Richard Thomas, Ibadan

Agric expert and multi faceted farmer,  Oluwafemi Abioye has said  one of  the ways  government at all levels  can tackle poverty and unemployment menace in the country is by  investing heavily in the  agricultural sector of the nation in order to make the economy buoyant and stable for great development.

Abioye,  ex- banker in an  interview with Western Post  News in Ibadan said it is high time government and the people looked  into the development  with a view of salvaging  the economy of the country, adding that the  advise became imperative in order to save the country’s economy from collapsing.

According to him, genuine intervention from  government into the agricultural
sector would go a long way in turning around fortune of the nation and the people.

He said  government need  to encourage the youths and  take care of value chain and as well create and enabling environment for off takers  to take farm produce from the farmers in the  production  section  adding that this will strengthen the sector and the  economy.

“As a multi faceted  farmer and expert in agric business, our garri , ofada  rice and other products sell at premium prices, we have partners in the United Kingdom for some of these process.”

“I  decided to come into the farming when my energy is at its  peak but  most people do so when they are  growing old. I have  crops like maize, yam, cassava soya beans on the arable and plantain, cashew and oil palm and others. I also have poultry which some of the arable   go to. If government can  encourage the youths and create enabling environment  for the practice,  agriculture  will boost our economy, he added

According to Abioye, the Chief Executive Officer, Agric Media, youths need mentors, people they can look up to and they need to believe in hard and smart work to succeed.

“In a unique way, government can support with cluster infrastructure like the dryer, silo for storage, mobile processing plant  and a kind of guarantee for farmers to access loan.

He encouraged the youths to put their energy in agric business, just as he assured them of maximum job security,  success and good living in the profession.

“We do seminars and we are the only organisation which  carry out inter High Institution Quiz to encourage the youths on agriculture”

Speaking on his experience, Abioye said he was born into farming but he  needed  to  put his energy in the profession when his strength is still at the peak.

“I resigned from the Banking sector and consequently launched myself into agric business some years back.”

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