By Eyo Nsima
The Chairman of the Board, of IoT Africa Networks Limited, Mr. Lare Ayoola, has urged Nigerians and indeed Africans to explore Nigeria’s agricultural sector, as the nation presents a N6.47 trillion market.
He said the amount, currently expended in food importation could have been retained in Nigeria by Nigerian farmers if smart IoT solutions were utilized in the nation.
Speaking on the ‘The Business Case for Adopting Smart Agriculture Using IoT Smart Solutions’ at the Daily Africa Summit, Friday, he said with fertile landmass, African nations, including Nigeria, should take the lead to deploy smart IoT solutions, capable of enhancing production for domestic consumption and export to generate additional foreign exchange.
He said: “What is agriculture contributing to the Nigerian economy and how is it impacting the Gross Domestic Product, GDP? Only approximately 30 percent in 2021, which is very small for a country that has such a land mass and such a large population.
“Also, more than 80 percent of Nigeria’s farmers are small-hold farmers. They are also not organized as well as they could be. Every farmer is an island and the information he or she has stayed with him or her. Therefore, his or her neighbour can’t learn from him or her.
“Indeed, I know the experts are already thinking along these lines, but we all have a role to play. N6.47 trillion is used to import agricultural produce. I mean you can imagine N6.47 trillion is given away to other countries to produce food for us to eat. Obviously, this is not acceptable. This is not beneficial to a country that has a land mass that can produce food for itself and half the world. It is simply not right and you’ll be wondering how can we possibly produce the food.”
Commenting on employment, he said: “The agricultural sector remains the largest employer in Nigeria, employing more than 34.66 percent of the labour force now. I would say, that’s good because, of course, it means that agriculture is helping many people to survive, and many families have to earn an income. But the sad part of it is that even though 34.66 of the population is employed, they remain the lowest paid because of the methods used in producing, harvesting, and storing the products. So, at the end of the day, the inefficiencies trickle down to ensure that this particular group of people are about the lowest paid in the country.”
