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BY- *DR. BISHOP AKHALAMHE, PhD*
Onoshoze of Edo state.
The Agricultural industry is the sector of the economy that provides crops, livestock, poultry and fish.
It is a crucial sector of the economy that provides food security, employment and wealth.
If any economics expert is consulted on ways to diversify the economy, his main focus will be agriculture. According to research, the mainstay of Nigeria economy before 1973 was agriculture.
A larger exporter of Cocoa, cotton, palm oil, rubber, groundnut, hides and skins etc and when the regional marketing boards; East, West and North had offices in London to handle export of products from their own particular region, there was healthy competition among them.
The federal government then, was just a spectator. Each region collected its own export revenue, kept 50 percent for itself and sent the rest to the federal government.
No region went to federal government to beg for money as we have today. Agriculture has been neglected by the government.
The Edo state government is yet to explore this cash cow industry to provide food security, employment and build wealth for the state.To achieve this, the state government must be deliberate to sustain investment in the agricultural sector.
The current #3billion monthly internally generated revenue which is majory from taxes, fines and rates etc by the state government is not enough to run a state whose population is over 7milion people.
The state government must be intentional to diversify the economy to build solid financial structures to run the state.
Edo state has fertile land for rice production in Esan, Owan and weppa.
The state government can take advantage of this fertile land and go into rice production and this will provide food security, employment and increase the wealth of the state. This effort will birth EDO RICE which can be sold at a subsidized price to Edo people and increase production capacity for export.
What are we doing with those forest harbouring criminals and kidnappers? We can turn them into wealth for the state.
Kebbi state is the highest rice producer with a total output of 3.56 million metric tonnes in Nigeria. In 2017, kebbi state government earned about #150 billion from sale of rice. We can also do this in Edo state
I just want a better Edo state.
*DR BISHOP AKHALAMHE, PhD*
Accounting scholar, Award winning Author of many Books, Educationist, resource person, CEO; BA GLOBAL CONSULT, Chairman, Zenith Labour party, Edo state, a two time former governorship candidate and convener, New Edo Group ( NEG)
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