Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has tasked the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to make its avalanche of research outputs and innovations available to farmers to boost food security in the continent saying that failure to do this would only amount to colossal waste.
The ex-President made the call at the international headquarters of the Institute in Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Friday while presiding over the grand finale of activities marking the 50th anniversary celebration of the agricultural institute.
While congratulating IITA for its landmark achievements in the efforts to ensure a zero hunger continent since the past 50 years,, Chief Obasanjo further charged the Institute to use the occasion of the golden jubilee anniversary in ensuring a sustainable breakthrough into local technology that would guarantee massive investments in rice production just as recently manifested in the cassava production.
With improved modern technology that is locally available, Chief Obasanjo assured that more Nigerian investors would be willing to go into rice production on a massive scale thus boosting the zero hunger continent campaign.
The former President then enjoined Nigerian farmers to embrace technology in their agricultural activities to ensure better yields.
Agricultural experts from different parts of the world attended the IITA at 50 grand finale ceremony which also featured a scientific conference on Food Security Challenge for the next 50 year cycle.
Scientific papers presented at the event included The Renaissance of Farming Systems Research in Africa; Transforming African Agriculture in the face of climate change; The rise of the processing sector in African agriculture: Economic Recovery, urbanization and transformation of traditional staple value chains; New opportunities from molecular science for removing constraints to sustainable farming; The future Prospects for Nerica Rice in Food Security over the next 50 Years; Building sustainable food systems for the 21st Century: the potential of diversified agro-ecological farming; Young people and rural transformation in Africa: Looking back to look forward; as well as Developing world-class genebanks to keep pace with users, among others.