The Director General, Premier Agribusiness Academy, Mr. Francis Toromade, has revealed that for agribusiness to become profitable in Nigeria, there is need for farmers to acquire cognitive skill and knowledge of human capital development, marketing and sales of agric products as well as logistics and supply chain management through continuous training and learning.
The agribusiness consultant who spoke while addressing newsmen in Lagos at the weekend, applauded the Federal Government for its food self-sufficiency initiative and move towards diversifying the economy from crude oil to agriculture, while stressing that no nation can survive without local food production.
He, however, noted that for Nigeria to realise this vision, there must be significant increase in local food production cutting across livestock, crop and aquaculture.
According to him, agriculture has the ability to contribute significantly to the overall development of the nation’s economy if effectively and efficiently managed.
He explained that there is a huge difference between agriculture and agribusiness while stressing that what makes agriculture a business is its ability to generate profit.
Toromade added that until farmers begin to see agriculture as a business venture and invest in acquiring the managerial knowledge needed to boost production and ensure profitability, food self-sufficiency for Nigeria may remain a mirage.
He added that, “the key is agribusiness. It is not enough to know the technical aspect of agriculture or study agriculture in school. To become successful and profitable in agriculture, there is need for farmers to acquire knowledge of the business side of agriculture, which is what Premier Agribusiness Academy offers.
“All over the world, people are no longer talking about agriculture; the stress is on agribusiness because that is where the profit lies. For farmers to be profitable, they need to acquire knowledge of strategies to market their products effectively, as well as their human capital and material resources. All these competences are what the academy offers in its courses.”
According to him, the vision of Premier Agribusiness Academy is to transfer well researched and innovative competences required for sustainable investments in non-allied industries of the agriculture sector to farmers.
Toromade, who is also the Business Development Consultant for Rome Business School and a facilitator at the Lagos Business School, revealed that the institution offers short executive courses, poultry management courses, aquaculture management and consultancy services to farmers.
He urged farmers to take advantage of the academy’s forthcoming training on “Creative Thinking and Problem Solving Skills for Decision Making” coming up on Oct 5, 2019 at Sheraton Hotels and Suites, Ikeja, Lagos, as an opportunity to further increase their knowledge in agribusiness management.
He revealed that the academy is willing to collaborate with major players in the agribusiness value chain both locally and internationally.