The Agricultural Machineries and Equipment Fabricators Association of Nigeria (AMEFAN) had a general meeting in Ilorin, Kwara State,

where many issues relating to the development of the agricultural sector were discussed. The National President of AMEFAN, Mr Kola Adeniyi, engaged Tribune Agriculture in an interview where pertinent issues in the 2012 budget, especially those affecting the nation’s agricultural sector were highlighted. Seye Adeniyi reports:

Your association  is one of the stakeholders in the agricultural sector and many people have described your association as an important in preventing post-harvest wastage/loss. This has been causing high prices of food commodities, thus hampering our development as well as affecting food security programme. How would you describe the 2012 budget?
The budget of 2012 is a budget of hope, but one that leaves little or no room for the survival of the  agricultural equipment fabrication sector in Nigeria.

Are you saying the 2012 budget does not recognise agricultural technology or that it does not appreciate agricultural machineries and equipment fabricators or technologists?  Don’t forget that the budget is termed a budget of transformation?
Cuts in... Without African technology and intellectual capital, iron excavated in Africa will continue to be manufactured in Europe and exported back to Africa at enormous cost. To alleviate poverty, Africa needs to cultivate creative as well as intellectual abilities that will allow it to increase the value of its raw materials and to break the continent’s vicious cycle of poverty. Poverty is not an absence of money; rather, it results from an absence of knowledge.

But without transformation in the nation’s economy, there may not be meaningful development in other sectors of the economy, not to talk of technological advancement or development?
President Goodluck Jonathan observed in the budget speech that the emerging economies like China and India are doing well even at times like this. These countries’ progresses are premise on technological development. But there is no way a country can do well without technology and a country who wants her development to be sustainable cannot depend solely on another country’s technology to grow her economy.

We must develop our home-grown and appropriate technology to sustain our agricultural revolution.

When Chinese were going through their agricultural revolution, they did not depend on German, British or Dutch technology. So, Nigeria cannot afford to anchor her agricultural development on Chinese, Korea or another country’s technology.

So what actually is your association’s view, stand or suggestions for the Federal Government in order for the country to make a head way in 2012 so that the on-going agricultural revolution could translate to cheap, abundant food on the tables of Nigerians?
We must endeavor to develop our technology. In our opinion, the budget for agriculture and technology is too low. Give half of what is given to security to agriculture and technology and greater number of youths will be engaged and gainfully employed.  Even the case of insecurity in the country will be reduced. The root cause of insecurity is idleness and employed youth is a major threat to security.

But the 2012 budget analysis shows that there would be zero tariff on the importation of agricultural machineries and equipment henceforth. Is this not a good development and needed catalyst for this important sector?
The world economic, which down size to 4 per cent growth for in 2012 to 2013, may translate to reduction of exportation of our commodities and therefore we must also be able to look inward and minimise importation of foreign goods in whatever form.

Therefore, zero tariffs on agricultural machines that we can produce locally will spell death to the agricultural equipment fabrication industry in Nigeria, and make us to perpetually depend on Chinese to grow our economy.

It is a fact that there are some machines that we cannot produce in the country yet, not as a result of lack of manpower, but lack of primary production equipment whose cost are not within the reach of equipment fabricators in the country. Importation of samples of such machines for Nigerian engineers and fabricators to copy and produce our own version is okay.

It is of interest to note that through the effort of some individuals and organisations, Nigerian engineers and fabricators have been able to produce various processing equipment (especially in cassava industry) of international standard and are capable of doing more if given adequate support. We want to urge the Federal Government to please pay attention to the development of appropriate local technology that is more adaptable to our climate and condition in Nigeria. This is what will lead to true agricultural revolution and economic transformation.

Don’t you think we need to patronise and promote our own made goods and products?
Firstly, AMEFAN want to commend the efforts of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina to bring long-lasting positive change in the nation agricultural sector.

In fact, the minister could best be described as a great reformer because the country has never seen his type before. He is different from past ministers.

However, it is a common wisdom that the best way to grow our economy and create jobs for our people is to patronise Nigerian-made goods”, this is indeed true. But zero import duty on agricultural machines will spell death for agricultural equipment manufacturing industry in Nigeria.

Agricultural machinery is one of the areas that Nigerian engineers and fabricators have made so much progress that we cannot afford to drag the progress backward. This is the time to escalate the development of indigenous and appropriate technology. This is the time the agricultural equipment fabricators need the Federal Government with all her ministries and relevant parastatals to build the Nigerian fabrication industry into a robust one that will lead to true agricultural transformation.

What then is the prayers of your association (AMEFAN) to President Jonathan in order to make the agricultural revolution, a reality and success?
Below is our prayers to President Jonathan through our dynamic Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina:

That government through her related agencies should address as a matter of urgency the following constrains that is militating against the development of equipment fabrication industry; in the country:
•Government policies are not encouraging application of technology in agriculture. The vision and mission of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Nigeria has no proper focus on agricultural machinery production.
•Steel industry, the producer of primary raw material (iron and steel) is almost non-existent in the nation, thereby making the manufacturers of agriculture equipment to depend on imported iron and steel.
•Electricity supply in the nation is not stable and diesel is unbearably expensive thereby making the cost of fabricating equipment very high.
•The primary machines necessary for equipment fabrication that are available to Nigerian fabricators are obsolete and they cannot afford the new and modern equipment.
•Fund is not available to Nigerian fabricators. The fund that was announced in the media by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is not accessible to fabricators.
•The Federal Government through her agencies like the; Raw Materials Research Development Council  (RMRDC), National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM) and Non-Export Promotion Council (NEPC), can do more to help the fabricators in the country to develop their capacity.
•Capacity building of the fabricators is almost non existence.
•Importation of agricultural equipment that can be produced in Nigeria is a great threat to Nigerian fabricators and should be ban or carry high tariffs.
•Results of research on agricultural equipment are not readily available to fabricators.
Is that all you want or your association have other suggestions for the Federal Government?
• Federal, state and local government should set aside prototype development fund.
• There should be supervised grants to private enterprise in order to produce the designed equipment.
•There should be equipment and facility upgrading for fabricators in the country.
•There is the need for the establishment of industrial parks.
•We need exchange programme for the fabricators and engineers in private sector, within and outside the country.
•There should also be capacity building and entrepreneurship development programme for fabricators in Nigeria.