‘Nigeria can produce food for 600million people’

The Consul-General of Denmark in Lagos, Mr Per Christensen, on Monday said that Nigeria could produce food for some 600million people through the application of the right technology.

Christensen said at a One-day Danish Food Tech Exhibition and Seminar in Lagos that Nigeria has a rich arable land and population for bumper food production. He said that Nigeria, with her arable land, population and weather, had the possibility of producing more food than Brazil, if the farmers engage in technology-driven farming. “Let me say that the agricultural development potential in Nigeria is bigger than that of Brazil when Nigerian farmers engage in technology farming. “Nigeria can produce food for 600million people through the application of the right technology,” he said.

The consul-general said it was imperative for Nigeria to rededicate herself to increasing food production for Nigerians, as well as regaining her position as a net food exporter. He said that agriculture was an area of common interest to Denmark and Nigeria, and Danish companies were prepared to introduce farming technology to Nigerian farmers.

Christensen said that the development of agriculture should be an important area of cooperation for Nigeria and Denmark in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to him, there are currently about 30,000 full time farmers involved in food and dairy products production in Denmark. He said that the Food Tech Exhibition and Seminar was organised to expose stakeholders in Nigeria’s agriculture sector to the existing technology for food processing and value Chain.

The visiting Danish companies are active in areas of logistics and cold chain, breeding and genetics, agro-industry and processing equipment, food and grain analytical equipment, ingredient and financing. The Marketing Manager of BIC Electric, Ms Katarzyna Michalczyk, said she was in Nigeria to meet Nigerians and know of the existing opportunities for her company in Nigeria. Michalczyk, a representative of one of the visiting Danish companies, said that the company would soon start doing business in West Africa, which would create sustainable jobs for local people. 

Source: NAN