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In a bid to boost productivity across the country’s agricultural value chain, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has charged the Federal Government to increase support for women in agriculture.
The call was made by the National President, NACCIMA, Ide John Udeagbala, during the Nigerian International Women Entrepreneur Exhibition (NIWEX) 2022 in Lagos recently.
Represented by the Vice-President, NACCIMA, Mr. Kola Akosile, said the call had become necessary because women still encountered issues such as socio-cultural challenges, which hinder their potential to contribute their quota to agricultural development.
He added that women constituted about 70 percent of the workforce in the agricultural sector, making their contributions significant.
Specifically, he noted that they were involved in diverse processes of the agricultural value chain to ensure that food production, processing and even marketing were made easy, thereby ensuring sustainable delivery of food in the country.
“Agriculture is an important engine for growth and poverty reduction, but the sector seems to be underperforming because women in urban and rural economies face constraints that reduce their productivity.
“In view of these challenges women face in the area of agriculture, production and processing, let me use this medium to encourage our women to intensify their efforts in promoting agricultural production through made-in-Nigeria products,” he said.
On her part, Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, Lagos State, Mrs. Lola Akande, said women had the potential to transform the economy if given the right opportunities and encouragement. Represented by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs. Adetutu Ososanya, said the event’s theme was apt considering the fact that women contribute to the bulk of the population and their roles in feeding families.
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She commended the NACCIMA Business Women Group (NAWORG) for the exceptional role played in coordinating the efforts of women in the chamber in Lagos and the country at large.
“There is no better time for this programme to come up than now because women must be assisted and encouraged to contribute their quota to economic diversification,” she said.
Speaking further, the Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, reiterated Lagos State Government’s commitment to alleviating the challenges faced by women in the agricultural sector by giving priority to them in all its projects and initiatives.
She noted that the ministry ensured that at least 40 percent of beneficiaries in any of its projects were women and also made sure that programmes were targeted at training women in off-season activities for revenue generation.
“We will continue to encourage active participation of women in the agricultural sector.
“Let me congratulate NACCIMA Business Women group for their unrelenting effort in promoting agriculture in Nigeria and usual collaboration with Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture,” she added.
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