Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Ante, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment has stated that President Bola Tinubu had taken steps to redirect agriculture in the country with focus on crops.
In her keynote address at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ilorin, Kwara State, the Minister said the President specifically gave cocoa a priority in his recent directive to the ministry.
Represented by a director in the ministry, Hajara Usman, the minister demanded cooperation and dedication from cocoa farmers across the federation, adding that the President was determined to steer the nation away from absolute dependence on oil sector.
Also speaking, CAN president, Mufutau Abolarinwa, sressed that agriculture remains the antidote to the underdevelopment and unemployment characterised by social menace plaguing the country.
According to Abolarinwa, the perceived attitudes of various levels of government to the development of agriculture have brought untold hardship and economic stagnation on the country.
