I want to thank President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo for creating the incentives and the enabling environment for the Nigerian farmers to cultivate their land and secure a rich harvest. But that is not the end of the story. Until the harvests get to the final consumers and the farmers secure their profits in the bank or recoup them back to the farm (reinvestment) for a larger yield, the effort is wasted. Transportation and the movement of goods and services from the source to the market place are fundamental. You can't beat that. And we know the state of our roads and highways.
Tomatoes, for instance, are perishable goods. If the fresh harvests you are seeing in the picture are not sold within a few days, it is over. And a year of labor and financial commitments ruined. And that is most often the case in the Nigerian Agricultural sector. For instance, today, there is no highway linking the Middle Belt with Edo State, so how do you expect the regular suppliers or distributors of fresh tomatoes at New Benin Market in Benin City to consummate their supplies and distributions needs?
A few years ago, when the highways were actually better, I traveled by road from Benin City to Abuja and continued to Jos, and I saw unmitigated wastage of farm produce on collapsed vehicles along the routs. President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo should first fix our roads. And that is the only way they can put a smile on the faces of our highly committed farmers, transporters, suppliers, and distributors all over Nigeria. To Vice President Osinbajo, your roadshow of a few days ago is not a success story, until the miracle farmer in your story, gets his harvests to the final consumers. There is no other way about it. An unhindered distribution supply chain is paramount.
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