Agriculture with Jimoh

-A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday said Nigeria was almost achieving self sufficiency in rice production in 1979 before he quit as the military Head of state, saying, the regime of the Second Republic president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, which succeded him scuttled the strides . Obasanjo spoke as the chief launcher at the Global unveiling of Okun Rice, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Obasanjo who blamed it on inconsistence in policy, said the successive civilian administration led by Alhaji Shehu Shagari, later set up Committee on importation of rice. He said this shift in policy focus from his own agricultural revolution, served as a disincentive to farmers who were cultivating rice, and they were sent packing as the imported bags of rice began to arrive. Okun Rice is produced by Hyst Global Business Limited, owned by Mr. Biodun Onalaja. Obasanjo, however, commended Onalaja for rekindling the h...

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has developed a technological incubation centre which would be used to tackle post-harvest losses plaguing farmers across the country. Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, made this known in Abuja on Thursday when he appeared on a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum. Ozumba, who said that UNN was probably the first university in West Africa to have a technological incubation centre, said that the institution was also planning to develop and build a world-class science park. “University of Nigeria is the first university, possibly in West Africa, to have technological incubator. “There is a group called `AGROMESS’ that has developed an appliance which can be used to market agriculture products. “One of the hazards, one of the big problems in agriculture is post-harvest wastage. People produce things like maize, if they don’t sell through the evening, the rest will be wastage. “But now, whe...