Year after year, Nigeria’s agricultural revenue generating potential has been on the rise due to the important part stakeholders have played, but the media impact cannot be ruled out, hence Blueprint’s partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture is essential. JOHN OBA writes
Agriculture is currently being given a pride of place in the current government’s diversifi cation plan. Th is has increased the interest of stakeholders in the sector, but one of the biggest partners that has remained faithful has been the media. Th is reality has prompted the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Bukar Hassan, to express the readiness of his ministry to partner with the media to help it achieved its advocacy aims. Speaking with Blueprint editorial team that paid him a courtesy visit in his offi ce last Tuesday, Hassan said with the government’s move to change from subsistent farming into commercial farming, partnering with the press is essential. “It is right to say, if we are to feed the nation, we must change from the current form of subsistence farming to commercial. We are willing to partner with the media to ensure that farmers in the rural areas are reached.’
“Agriculture is a commercial issue not really a social issue and if we have to do that, then the Ministry must have partnership with the stakeholders, and the fi rst point of call will be how to reach the farmers. Subsistence agriculture that we knew before existed where nobody talk about fertilizer, tractor and other implements. Th e best we could was to have a plough but commercial agriculture cannot be like that. We have to change and this change requires lots of inputs more than money or equipment.
“It requires knowledge, technical knowhow and I think the right partners would be the press. You can sit here and talk, and because of them next time the man in my village will be listening or get a paper to read what is happening, it means the ministry must partner with the press. I know there are new media, but the man in my village cannot access the new media, because there is no network in my village. So we get informed from the traditional media, “ he said. He explained that it is easier to reach farmers in the rural areas with the media. “So we need partnership with the media, but our plead with you, especially in the print media is that some times, we may need to reach out to the people but may not have the where without at that time, so we may need to place such and pay later.” He said he would love to have a host of media partners that could easily be reach for
assistance whenever the need arises. But the Managing Editor, Blueprint Newspapers, who led the delegation, Mr. Clem Oluwole, assured that though the medium gives priority to reporting the sector and promoting the positive values in the sector. He said the visit was to spice up the already existing relationship. “Th e purpose of our visit is to strengthen the existing relationship between the ministry and the medium. He stressed the need to give agriculture a priority of place as investment in the sector can help stem rural urban migration. “We appreciate the Ministry’s development drive.
We have been following the activities of the ministry and have been giving it prominence in terms of reporting, and we have dedicated about four editorial page on the ministry recently because we believe that agriculture is even more result oriented in term of development than oil. Before the advent of oil, agric was the main stale of our economy. So we feel we should help you to further promote the agenda of food security. So we know that the ministry is key to Nigeria’s economic development. “Agriculture is very crucial to Nigeria’s development, it is more results oriented than oil and should be given prominence. We want to further partner with the ministry to help get it mileage. “We have been featuring the sector prominently because of our belief that agriculture is Nigeria way out of recession, and we believe that partnering with the ministry will further enhance our coverage of the sector,” he said.
