“Nigeria farmers have not had it well in terms of having a farmer as their minister that will pilot affairs of the ministry and having rural farmers at heart when making policies.

As the Dangote group plans to invest over $200m in the area of Rice and Sugar production in Jigawa state, the the President of the group of companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has called on governments at all level to focus on agriculture. Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in the Dutse, Aliko Dangote said agriculture is a sustainable means of economic development and growth for the country.

THE Registrar,Veterinary Council of Nigeria, VCN, Dr. Marcus Avong, has disclosed that the proposed N300 million veterinary specialist hospital will boost human capital development in agricultural sector. Avong disclosed this in Abuja while explaining the huge expectations from the livestock sub-sector, which people rely on for food, job creation, and revenue generation.

A total of N738 billion worth of agricultural products were imported into the country in the first quarter of 2015, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest foreign trade reports. Agricultural imports increased by N132.1 billion or 21.8 percent from N606 billion in Q1 2014 to N738 billion in Q1 2015, the data show.

One question on the lips of many followers of the African Development Bank (AfDB) before its just concluded 50th Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire last week was who will come top in the development bank’s Presidential elections. The question became imperative because of the gripping nature of the race and the lobbying that followed the high level power play against the credentials of the eight candidates that vied for the position.