The Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, has said that Nigeria needs to incorporate technology into its agricultural practices.
He said this at the National Consolidatory Dialogue at the United Nations Food Summit 2021 held in Abuja.
Also present at the event were dignitaries including Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Nanono, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Amina Mohammed.
Ayade noted that Nigeria practiced a 20th Century agricultural system that, and that it needed to catch up with the rest of the world.
He cited Thailand as an example where farmers were provided with the needed tools for farming by the government.
READ ALSO: Fintech Solutions, E-commerce Offer Convenience To Online Shoppers – Experts
He said, “There is a direct relationship between hunger and anger. When people became hungry, anger sets in, which often finds expression in restiveness and all sorts of crimes. So, food sufficiency is critical, but food quality is twice as critical.
“All tiers of government have the responsibility to ensure that technology is made available to farmers to help improve our food system.
“In Thailand for instance, it is government’s responsibility to provide irrigation, inputs, extension services and off-takers. The farmer’s responsibility is to tend his crops.
“We still practice 20th century agriculture system in Nigeria. We must entrench technology-driven agriculture with focus on knowledge engineering.”
