Nlge r hUJ TTlbune 15 T'uesday. 1 May, 2012
a an Professsor and Vice Dean, of Veterinary Basic Medical Sciences. College of Veterinary Medicine. Jordan Uniuersity ofS<:ienc'eand Technology. Jordan. He was in Nigeria recently to train some farmers in Lagos and In this interuiew with Seye Adeniy~ he speaks on how his country became a nation in the Middle his aduicefor the Nigerian gouern~Bul
an: produclng ~ than ~ milk and meal for OUT people to IXII"l'SUIl"le and we are also export..Ing to other I)QUoos of the ~ Honestly. we ha~ 1aJge dairy companies In Jordan
-prnduc-
Its actcuItural
• ' the IndUStry.no maltc1" how small tho · contrfbutlon may be. We need data, figures and stati5tics to bWress" guur as;serdon. Ckhenmse. ~ fNI!I be fon:ed to 'fiUIJ l1u:lt you ore only massoging your countJt{s ego or leUlngfables? laU@1l.. '~I . Jord..n 15 proud dim six mitJon people and 01 er 120 million brtJIlcn: chicken. that Is. an a\~ or ~ty btJdoI per IndMdualv.1lIle Ntgma.. ha5 • populatlon of oYa" 160 mtrucn pecpIe with abundm ~llarxl. maM and Olhef" enWlble natu...ral resources WIth about 150 mlillon broOer'S. that Is. less than one btrd per IndMdual Jordan Is al<!o ranked 15 havtog I I th highest slalldard d IIvttu!: In ~ devdoptng v.u1d per capital gross domesllc product tGOPI d 5 . 1110 Unfto15talcs dolIar8 (USO) rompared to Nigeria which b about 1.200 USD. What Is the IaJeI qf rlterat::y and ~ in Jonfon. beaCUSl! some aprrts mnk yourc::ountry high and desaited JIOUr agriculturaJ .ector as a sector that is wort/'t emuladng. Is it ~ TIlt Ulency ieYd In Jordan Is about 00 per cent and Is ranked as tt e second highest In Ole MlddIe-EasL We are a~ ranked 14th out ol110 counl.ries lOr !he number of t'ngJnecrs. ~tun: otpms. sdcnUslll and n:scachcrs. according 10 the Global CompeUUvenCS5 Rqxwt 0(20'14 to 2005. Not only that. access toadequalc: rood and sheller In Jordan 15 the sixth lughest In !he ~""1l1lc ' Iflly about 1.6 per clem of Jon1anians earn IesI5 than tw. do&rs per day. v.tllch Is mlC or the lowest In~workl
~. record has It lhal I1lCl6I. N~ earn Icss lhan (Ill!! dClJar per day. despite the fact thai N~1CI1a is om m the ~y-accIa1mcd 1aJgc: producrr m crude oiL 00 you know thai Jordan has no crude oU.bul woe an: lICI10us with ~lure. IM!fl far bctter than Nigeria? 1 Jegrru you an! famIUar with lTlgeria cmd Iuwe been eontribudng to the datelopment qf its ogricu.ltural sector in one way or the other. W1uzt is your Im~ oboutfarming profession in Nigeria? When I ';l."aS Visltirlt ~ places tn your counll)'.1 llOlkuIlhal ~ was not. enough mproducUon In Icnns 0( ~>hat <Xl' lei be de5crIbed as big farms. Fot" insl.ance. N~ has · 1 lot 0( .small I"ann5 and only oonocntrnte an
as. as I oh5uwrl..
your b ig population >.!~~hc ~, .:. .;J .1..1.!.d l.!...'1t naluntJ n:8OUnIe!I and 1aJgc: land JJJa.'J5 which your counll)' ough l to take advantage 0( In Icnm 0( t'lTTTllng. In !"act. In my assessmcnL NIgCrta doesn't ha~ wt)QI b called big poultry tndusUy: what you ha~ an: just small pouJlI)' f3J"lJlCl"!J who an prod~ smaIJ amount 0( cgg!i and other poultry products which cannot. $I.USfy the demand 0( the population. as wdl as meet o r satisfy the kJca1 market. demand. not. 10 talk 0( meetIng the taJget and dcmando(thetntemaUonaJ rnrukct. BulinJordan.wc an: productng O\'CI" 120 mlllion broOers for consumptJon unlike Nigeria wtth ~ 160 m1Illon people And productng 150 m1IIon broUers. that is, less than Ole bird per tndI-
\ans In agrtcuilure Your leader.; need IistCllng ears to Ideas about many chalk:nges. espr:dalIy ~ threaten tng your livestock Industy and this Is what I've been telling people whenever rm called upon to speak or gl~ lectures In Nigeria.. Then: is a problem 0( susa:ptJbUty 0( disease. lack 0( PJUPCf" Imltmmt 0( anlrnaI dlscascs. "WhIch he""! been t.hrcalentng the tMslOCk lndustIy. bl Cact.rnany anIma1 fanners don't knoo.v the light rul~ or drugs to usc to tackk: animal diseases wtuch are responsible for lack o(pmOt In tl-.e ttvcswck busIncs:s.. thus &usualIng and discourngtng many fanners. Honest1y. NIger1a needs klls of appHed ~ to tackle tts problems. Nigerlahas~oU.
but,Jcnlandoesn' t and aport
....~~"'!"--!"""!'h !""-d~-"'!""-"!---::b-.-....;;--~-ad "':"..., from agricuJtw<. ..".... "We"re In t e esert regIon, ut access to · does t h e countr"y get equatefood and shelter in Jordan is the sixth """"'" highest in the world, while only about 1_6 per cent NIg«1a IS. good oouno' Jordanians earn less than two dollan; per day. t'Y. you hn, • good u
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which. is one ot the lowest in develoninn world."
vtdual.. 1·loncsty_ It \! sad becaUM: tt is not • good .--"S, U5 In othc:T pans 0( the WOIid. So what rID you. think Nigeria can do to get o u t of t h b: problem? TIlCI'C ts a kq! way 10 1§> bl NIger1a because: rm not lmpn:St!Icd with the v,'ily your JXIOPIe and poernment ~ handltng the f"anning professkJn You have talJced about the poultry lndustTy In Nigeria.. What about other.seeton: qfIM liuestocIc industry? Wdl l don't know much about goat and sheep pmducHan bustnesI!I tn NIgcI1a. Ukcwl5c. I can't talk much about other Uw:stoek bustncss beau.15e 1 doni kn ow whether you are!t01oUs with
c:speciaIIy to
weather, nk:c people lin d abundant natural rc -
Yet.,you are complaining 0( lack.. But tn Jordan. _ donl have all al all. but lhere: IS a RlVtt Jordan where Jesus was bapU.scd. We have Ne:bo Hili where: Moses \1fRS watching Ule promlscd hmd as n:wrded In the Bible. We have the bw1al ground of Prophet Job. the Dead SU, the lowest part of the earth. the e:a ...-e of the sleepers In the holy book of Quran. some: slle of t.he erusadel"S.Ule cave of Prophet Lot and o ther his· tortcal sites are all located In Jordan whic h serves as tourist centres Jordan Is D coUntry wtth vel}' go«! quality control system. hence, WE are developing fast I-« SOUI"t.'eS-