The Director General of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Dr. Shenggen Fan has warned the Federal Government to intensify efforts in the area of research-driven agricultural programmes or face serious famine and attendant malnutrition in the coming years.
Dr. Fan gave the warning on Thursday when he visited the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi. He lamented that while other countries such as Brazil, China and India with same economic potentials are investing huge funds in agricultural research and are making waves in the comity of nations, Nigeria's rating was dropping significantly amidst issues of food insecurity.
He warned that if the "development is not (looked into, the country may face serious famine in the coming years, resulting in the death of children due to malnutrition
He advised that Federal Government to allocate huge resources to the sector to avert this danger.
Responding, the Senator assured that the Nigerian Senate would prevail on the Federal Government to encourage a research-driven agricultural sector by allocating huge resources to the area. He also advised him to made similar presentation to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh.
