Farmers News - Niger Delta to Shift Focus From Oil to Agriculture

Reports say stakeholders from nine states in the Niger Delta have deliberated on the need to urgently shift the area's focus from oil production to the agricultural sector.

At a workshop in Calabar organised by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta themed ‘Unlocking Investment Opportunities in Agriculture in the Niger Delta for Regional Competitiveness,’ the Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. James Aniyom, said 44.2 per cent of jobs in the Niger Delta region were created by the agricultural sector.

“The Niger Delta as regarded as the oil-rich region of the country. But before the oil boom in the 1970s, the region was referred to as the oil rivers because the region was a major producer of palm oil.

“In view of the importance of the agricultural sector to the economy of the region, the government of the nine states that make up the region must therefore ensure as a matter of priority the promotion of policies that will unlock investment opportunities in the region and also provide an enabling environment for the active participation of the private sector in the region’s agriculture," he said.

Source: http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/niger-delta-to-shift-focus-from-oil-to-agriculture.103537/