Clearly, agricultural production needs
to be increased, and this needs to
happen through upgraded
productivity rather than through
bringing additional land under
cultivation.
A first step to achieving upgraded
productivity is addressing these three
afore-mentioned areas. Considering
the huge gaps that already exist in
these areas, the quantum of
investment needed can add a
significant number of new jobs to the
economy. And that’s in the upstream
sub-sector alone.
Going downstream,
one major challenge
in Nigeria’s
agriculture sector is
food loss and food
waste.
It is estimated that we lose up to 40%
of post-harvest output due to
inadequate processing, storage and
transportation facilities particularly in
the rural areas where majority of the
farming activities in Nigeria happens.
15 The Export Brief | MAY 2018 | IEOM-NG.ORG
There’s a whole lot more activities
that are needed in the downstream
sector to ensure a well-functioning
agribusiness sector. However, just
addressing these areas already
mentioned can help this country
drive massive job creation, reduce
unemployment significantly and lift
the economy.
Adjacent to both upstream and
downstream activities, there are
opportunities in research and
development, construction, analytics,
data management among other
things. These are indire