The Executive Adviser on Agribusiness to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Dr. Debo Akande, has declared that subsistence agricultural production cannot guarantee food sufficiency in the country.
Akande who doubles as the Director-General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA, made this declaration while addressing journalists at an inter-ministerial press briefing on Wednesday in Ibadan.
He noted said that agricultural production is not all about cutlasses and hoes and not something that should be done once in a year but something that should be done all year round.
He said that subsistence agriculture can only take care of a small number of people and provide little income, encouraging farmers to make use of modern agricultural tools to bring in larger quantities of produce.
He said, “Subsistence agricultural production cannot sustain us again. It cannot feed us. It cannot help us to improve the economy.
“Agricultural production is not about food supply alone, it also includes economic growth. So, it is not about food. We cannot tell our people to go into subsistence agriculture production again. We need to shift to commercial agricultural production.
“That is part of what we are doing and it is the reason why the agency was established. We are focusing on commercial agricultural production to improve the economy of the state.
“5,010 youths have been trained so far. Over 8,200 farmers have been supported.
“Agricultural production should not be for a season. It is not something that should be done once in a year. It is something that should be done all year round. Agricultural production is not all about cutlasses and hoes”.
