The Director General, Premier Agribusiness Academy, Mr. Toromade Francis, has stressed the need for farmers to acquire cognitive skills and knowledge to become profitable in agribusiness.
The agribusiness consultant, who said this while addressing newsmen recently, applauded the federal government in its drive to ensure self-sufficiency in food production as well as diversify the economy from crude oil to agriculture.
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 was a huge difference between agriculture and agribusiness while stressing that, what makes agriculture a business is its ability to generate profit.
He further 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, “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 profit lies.
“For farmers to be profitable, they need to acquire knowledge of strategies to market their products effectively manage 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 agri-sector to farmers.
Toromade who is also the Business Development Consultant for Rome Business School and a facilitator in 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 the 5th of October, 2019, in Lagos, as an opportunity to further increase their knowledge in agribusiness management.
