News Investigators/ The Federal Government has called on members of the National Assembly to capture the establishment of soil laboratories in all 774 Local Government Areas of the country in their constituency projects.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Aliyu Abdullahi, made the call at the Regional Hub for Fertiliser and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel workshop on the “Nigeria Soil Information System (SIS) Development” on Thursday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SIS workshop was organised by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in collaboration with partners.
Mr Abdullahi said such gesture would facilitate soil testing as well as ensuring soil health and sustainable food system.
He said it would enable the country to achieve a transformed food system that would guarantee sustainable food security
According to him, SIS is a game changer in the restoration of degraded land.
Mr Abdullahi said the Federal Government was partnering with the regional hub located in IITA and International Soil Reference information Centre (ISRIC) to provide support for the country.
The minister said that the country had 73 million hectres of land but had only cultivated about 34 million hectres
According to him, the remaining hectres require the collaboration of investors to fully harness inherent agricultural potential.
“At the end of the day, we will be able meet global standard regarding soil health and quality food.
“Nigeria is so huge; so we would like to have investors coming in; and the only determinant or what will make the country attractive to investors is healthy soil.
“So, if the soil information is standardised based on global best practice, has integrity, then investors will be happy to come in.
“We want more investors to come in because we have 73 million hectares of land, and currently we are doing only about 34 million hectares.”
Speaking on the recently unveiled National Farmers Soil Health Scheme, the minister said it was designed to help in enhancing Nigerian agriculture productivity.
Mr Abdullahi regretted that less attention had been given to the soil which was the foundation of agriculture.
“The scheme will enable us to have results; experts will be able to tell the farmer the type of crops and nutrient in terms of fertiliser required in certain soil,” he said.
Bernard Vanlauwe, Deputy Director General, R4D, IITA, said the regional hub for fertiliser unveiled in the country was an idea of the ECOWAS Director of Agriculture,.
According to him, the idea is that the hub will provide technical assistance and support to 17 countries in West Africa and the Sahel.
“One of the roles of the hub is to ensure that the Nigerian soil information system is building on the best available technologies and that will continuously increase new technology and new science.
“The second function is to be sure that across those 17 countries in the region; we use standardised procedures; we organise and coordinate; so that the soil parameter measured in Burkina is the same methods as a soil parameter in Nigeria.
“So, we can compare and look at questions regionally, because Nigeria is also part of West Africa.
“The third function is a lot of emphasis on capacity development, capacity strengthening; this is a new methods, new tools and new equipment,’’ he said.
Mr Vanlauwe said the hub would ensure that it worked with all stakeholders and transfer new ways of doing business to universities and the national agriculture systems in Nigeria.
NAN