Food security: NBCC advocates use of technology to improve agricultural output

The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has called for the use of the latest technological solutions to boost agriculture in Nigeria.

The chamber said this in a statement issued on Monday after its workshop themed, ‘Leveraging Technology and Digital Transformation in Agriculture’.

The workshop had in attendance individuals, companies, public parastatals, sectoral regulators, and operators alike.

Speaking about the challenges faced by the sector, Sola Obabori, chairman, agric and export trade group of the NBCC, said the workshop was a prerequisite to “divulging information” on the use of technology and its relevance to the sector.

In his keynote address, Ernest Umakhihe, permanent secretary, federal ministry of agriculture and rural development, said the underlying objective of Nigeria’s agricultural policy is productivity enhancement, private investment, institutional realignment for facilitating food security, enterprise promotion, and economic empowerment in the country.

He emphasised the commitment of the government to the provision of facilities for research, water, and extension resource systems for the promotion of dedicated agro/agro-allied enclaves in cooperative cluster formations.

Also speaking at the event, Niels van den Bosch, business manager, Cropnuts-AgriServe Ltd, advocated for positive acceptance of technology, use of existing market systems and networks, incubation of yield/profit increasing technology coming from research, and use of energetic, proactive, result-driven players (youth empowerment).

On his part, Ebikekeme Ere, chief executive officer, Eresoft Ltd and Ere Aeronautics Ltd, said he has effectively utilised drone technology in the agriculture sector.

He added that precision agriculture — an approach to farm management that uses information technology (IT) to ensure that crops and soil receive exactly what they need for optimum health and productivity — was the way to go for the sector.

On the need to eliminate barriers in the export process, the NBCC said it would upscale advocacy and tackle challenges in the sector.

It said social media channels would also be used to enhance communication between exporters and agencies involved in the trading journey so that complaints could be resolved faster with data-driven results.

“We want to use this medium to announce that we intend to further engage with the Nigerian Ports Authority, Shippers Council, and other relevant authorities at the 2nd phase of the NBCC Advocacy Roundtable which will be coming up on the 10th of August 2022,” NBCC said.

“This event will address the issues of over-crowding, frequent delays, and loss of cargo at the port amongst others.”