By Oyediran Apata

Lagos — About 70 per cent of Nigerians representing 7 in 10 people are now working in Agricultural sector.

The Chairman Candel Company Limited, Mr. Charles Anudu stated this in Lagos during the week at the commissioning of the first ever Nigeria Agrochemicals Manufacturing plant located at Lekki Free Zone.

According to Anudu, there was need for the administration to embrace agriculture in addressing the vacuum created by focusing on mono-income on for external reserve.

He expressed optimism that many more people can be attracted agriculture if the right environment is provided.

Anudu said, “I think the government should embrace agriculture, it is a gift this current drop in oil price would provide. The drop in oil price is a blessing in disguise; the government should use agriculture to diversify the economy.

“If you rely on one product for 90 per cent of your foreign earnings, if anything happens to that product you are bound to suffer and if you produce nothing locally what then happens is that everything has to be imported and also using the scarce foreign exchange to import goods,” he said.

He explained that a lot of agrochemical products imported from overseas are 20 per cent less in terms of quality and are responsible for poor yields to Nigerian farmers.

Emphasising that the need to help farmers address this problem and save the country from huge losses on low quality agrochemicals products informed, Anudu said is the concern of Candel’s investment in the plant.

He added that crop protection chemicals protect crops from weeds, pests and diseases when in the field, during transportation and in the store and are helping the quest for increased crop yields and better preservation by Nigerian farmers.

He expressed disappointment farmers suffered in imported agrochemicals, contending that they don’t really derive desired benefits from such ventures.

“We are not going to compete on price but on quality. Agrochemical products from this plant will be second to none. In Nigeria, there is no company producing Agricultural chemicals, this is the first and we are right from day one looking at international standards.