Agritech Nigeria Osun 2020 Will Empower Youth And Women – Yahaya

Mr Yahaya Majeed is a technocrat, business development strategist and Executive Director Agritech Nigeria 2020. He spoke with P.M. EXPRESS in Lagos during the unveiling of Agritech Nigeria Osun 2020, an international agricultural technology exhibition and business conference which holds in Osogbo, Osun State in July this year. 

Congratulation on the successful unveiling of Agritech Nigeria 2020, can you tell us what we should be looking for in July during the Agritech Nigeria  event in Osogbo, Osun State?

Thank you very much, this year  Agritech Nigeria will still focus on exhibition of agro technology to match up with entrepreneur workshop and business conference that will provide  agro entrepreneur skills for the registered participants which will be delivered by local and international experts and speakers across the globe for the purpose of creating wealth and employment for the youth. That is why the theme of this year is “Youth and Women, the Future of Agriculture”.

Which areas of specifics are we looking at?

We shall concentrate our effort on agricultural technological innovations that complete the value chain. Agro equipment, processing, packaging, finance and market, what I am saying is from Farm to Fork. In term of conference, which is in two parts, we have a Diplomatic Conference, which is aimed at improving  economic bilateral and balance of trade with most nations of the world, attract investors through Ambassadors, Higher Commissioners of foreign countries in Nigeria and various international organizations, Last year, we have many foreign ambassadors, international organizations, 76 federal government agencies in attendance. This was an event where the best practices of agriculture was exposed and presented. Presently, a lot have been confirming their interests to be part of this year’s Agritech Nigeria Osun 2020, which is taking place in Osogbo, Osun State from 7-9 July.

The second part will focus on skill acquisition on how to start agribusiness in farming, livestock, processing, packaging and marketing, Our specifics this year are on creation of wealth and employment for the youth and women on fruits and fish, waste to wealth, To achieve this, there will be exhibition of adaptable and avoidable technology for you to set up your own small scale industries that will make you self employed and employ others. We have reached out to some financial institutions to take this opportunity to get customers from tens of thousands of participants expected at the event. There will be exposition and visit to tourist site across south west states (Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo and Osun the host state) by interested local and international participants. Last year. Some Ambassadors and participants visited tourism site in Osun state and this year will include other states in the southwest.

What are the benefits expected from this year’s edition of Agritech Nigeria Osun 2020?

Agritech Nigeria is providing opportunity for those who want to  turn  agriculture into agribusiness, those who want to create wealth and employment for themselves through agriculture, those who want to change from subsistence farming to mechanized farming, those who are looking for investors and want partnership. Agritech Nigeria is going to empower thousands of registered  participants and bring investors to the door step of any government which needs them. In fact, as I am talking to you, some foreign investors are lining up to invest in Nigeria through their embassies and we have been in talks with their embassies. This is an opportunity for products and services to come and urgently answer demands of eager crowds of prospective participants who will frequent our fair. This gives them leverage to enter in to Nigeria market, gain accessibility, exposure, increase their brand loyalty with a target audience , create awareness of their products and services, promote their business by engaging  in one-to-one marketing with target audiences , strengthen customer relationships ,drive more traffic to their business, stimulate sale, provide sampling opportunities. Agritech Nigeria is for those who want to invest and position their products to enter into Nigeria agribusiness market, the largest market economy in Africa. It is an opportunity for research institutes and companies to showcase their research works for the benefits of agricultural sustainability and productivity and to commercialize it to increase their revenue.

Who and who to attend Agritech Nigeria?

The Agritech Nigeria Osun 2020 is a meeting point for local and multinational companies, venture capitalists, private equity investors, corporate and institutional investors, technology transfer experts, public officers, business development executives, financial institutions, processors, universities, governments and corporate research institutions, scientists and government representatives, students, farmers associations and NGOs.  During Agritech Nigeria Osun 2020, there will be exhibition of modern agricultural technologies and equipment, crop and animal science, livestock and poultry, animal husbandry, seed and seedlings company, biotechnology, greenhouse, fertilizers, processor, fishery, experts in crops, orchards, herbs, farmers and growers, agronomists and breeders, water, soil and irrigation professionals, project financiers, climate meteorologists, environmentalists, technology inventors and developers and entrepreneurs

You talk about visiting tourism sites, is tourism part of Agritech Nigeria and what about herbs so earlier mentioned?

Yes, we have tourism as part of Agritech Nigeria 2020, we have Agro Tour or Professional Tour. We plan to arrange eco tour for visiting visitors in a bid to promote and commercialize our natural gifted resources. There is opportunity to showcase our herbs as there are equipment for the extraction of plant components in to oil, syrup and juice and tea bag. We have a lot of herbs here that ordinarily we can turn to juice, but they are wasting away. We are expecting companies that are into manufacturing or dealership of such equipment at this year’s Agritech Nigeria.

During last year’s edition,  participants got better value for their money. One of the foreign companies that participated are in to production of bitter kola, sobo leave, lemon fruit into syrups, wine and juice. Thousands of bottles of these products were sold and you can imagine quantity of bitter kola fruits that worth millions of Naira that they bought from our local women in Osun State. In fact, when they could not get enough from the state, we have to go as far as Ondo State to get bitter kola for this company. Equipment, business agreements and partnerships were signed during our B2B.

You mentioned Animal and Seed Award Prize Winning Competition Show, can you explain in detail?

This year’s event will feature Animal, Seed and Feed Show. The purpose of this is to boost agriculture productivity, encourage research and create job. We have discovered that a lot of researches have been done to improve crop and animal husbandry, but they never found their way to public either from government institutions or private. The most animal with highest weight, crop with highest yields will go home with mouth watering prizes. We have committee that will be in charge of this. Interested participants should visit and contact us at http://www.agritechnigeria.net for more details on participation and sponsorship.