Agricultural and economic experts have tasked both federal and state government to strengthen the market strategy, in order to boost agricultural produce and generate more revenue.
An economic analyst with the Nigeria Institute of Social and Economic Research, Prof. Olomola Aderibigbe, said that there was the need to strengthen and transform the marketing strategy in the industry, as the agricultural sector experienced slow growth rate recently.
According to him, transforming the system will make farmers have better prosperity and also boost production and investment in the agriculture sector.
He said, “As much as more effort is being chanelled towards boosting production and promoting export and investment in agriculture, the marketing aspect should not be taken for granted. There is the need for transformation in agric marketing so that we can have better prosperity to share for the farmers.”
Aderibigbe noted that at present, farmers find it difficult to sell their farm produce.
“Nigeria has been lagging in the area of marketing and without market transformation, growth in the sector will not improve,’’ he added.
Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, Otunba Femi Oke, explained that a good and functional marketing strategy is one sure way to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of agro-commodity marketing in Nigeria.
Like Aderibigbe, Oke said a vital marketing strategy would help stabilise agro-commodity prices and protect farmers from price fluctuations and losses, arising from storage wastages.
This, according to him, has become imperative in view of the need to give more impetus to the Federal Government’s ongoing economic diversification campaign anchored on the agric sector.
He said, “The marketing strategy will provide a much-needed platform for commodity marketing. It is the platform where sellers and buyers of agricultural commodities meet and transact business. It also serves as a source of market information.
“The strategy will help stabilise prices and assist farmers who are often hit by constant price fluctuations both in the local and the international export markets. With the sector still underdeveloped, requiring efforts to transform it from the subsistence level to a modern, commercial business, a market strategy and commodity exchange system is certainly a win-win one, for all stakeholders.”
An agric business specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, Dr. Nelson Abila, also explained that the obvious benefits of putting in place a functional marketing strategy for Nigeria is very important, as it will encourage increased productivity in the sector.
She said, “With about 180 million inhabitants, Nigeria is also one of the most populous countries in the world. Around 85 per cent of its population live in rural areas that boast of expansive landmass for
agric.”
