Expert Seeks Agric National Data Base

• Expert Seeks Agric National Data Base

The Project Director, Cassava Adding to Af- rica (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo, has called for the establishment of a national data base on agriculture.

He said the absence of data base was stalling the sector’s growth. He said food security would not be achieved without a comprehensive data that provide information on farming households, communities, and local resources.

He said a national data base would enable the government and the private sector to collect and analyse information that could be used to improve productivity and boost the sustainability of agricultural systems.

Adebayo said: “Good data mean good judgement. If your data is genuine then you can make effective decisions. Census provide the data that is seriously needed for national planning. If we don’t collect data or adulterate the data in some ways,then the decision that is made is would be flawed. No planned progress could be made without good quality data.’’

Last month, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri, said foreign investors, who were interested in doing business in Nigeria, could not because of lack of data.