Chinese farming option - As part of efforts to ensure that quality food is made available to all the citizens, the federal government has engaged Chinese local farmers to teach their Nigerian counterparts how to grow more food with less physical energy. Speaking during this year's Agricultural Show, which took place on Keffi road, Nasarawa State, the coordinator, South-South Corpor-ation, Alhaji Gidado Bello, said the partnership, which started since 2003 across the 36 states of the federation, had yielded much results.

"We have many things in common with China. While they have the largest population in the world, Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. They were once faced with poverty and food shortage, which our country has been facing. That is why the federal government, in its wisdom, invited the core rural farmers from the country to teach us how they were able to phase out poverty and hunger in their land."

Part of the fruits of the collaboration, according to the SSC boss, is the production of large scale fishes, poultry products, fruits, and different species of pepper, among others.

Bello is optimistic that within the shortest period of time, Nigeria will not only be food sufficient but will have more than enough for exportation.

The leader of the 56-man Chinese farmers delegation, Professor Xu Yuanfang said they were focusing on agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and water control. Explaining how the Chinese experts have been able to communicate effectively with the rural farmers, Yuanfang said there was an interpreter engaged by the federal government for the job. He said so far, they had succeeded in training the farmers on how to process soya bean in large quantity, bees and honey production, bean curd, and other crop production.

John Shiklam

This Day/17/10/2011