The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce,
Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has urged more incentives for
farmers and other agriculture players, while also asking the government
for better infrastructure to boost real investment in the sector.
Badaru Mohammed Abubakar, national president, NACCIMA,
said incentives and adequate infrastructure would frontally address
challenges of low productivity and poor research and development
(R&D) bogging the industry.
According to him, there have been increases in large-scale
farming activities in
the country, owing to policy formulations of the
Federal Government, with results already manifesting in large-scale
cultivation projects by Olam and Dangote groups.
He, however, bemoaned delay in budget assent by the
president, saying that the trend had unpalatable consequences, including
dislocation of proper planning by the government and private sectors
whose plans were directly dependent on the policies and provisions of
annual budgets.
“I, therefore, wish to counsel that the executive and the
legislature at Federal and State levels should strictly adhere to the
extant practice of timely crafting, presentation, debate, passage and
signing of the annual national/ state budgets latest by mid-December and
for the president/ governors to sign and subsequently announce same to
the citizens on 1st January of every year, in the overall interest of
the nation,” he said at the economic briefing in Lagos.
Gas shortage and its attendant negative effect on the
manufacturing sector have been on the centre stage for some time now.
Manufacturers and firms in other sectors incur high production costs
owing to poor power situations, which prompt them to resort to
generators. However, gas shortages in these firms in recent times have
interrupted production, with the attendant consequences of crimped
growth and reduced profits.
“There shortage in supply to industries has affected
capacity utilisation and production output and thus competitiveness of
industries in the country,” he stressed.
He further urged institutions of higher learning to tailor
their curricula to the need of industries as firms often requested
expertise from other climes even when the country had abundant human
resources.
“We are still worried the policy of 24 hours cargo
clearance bygovernment is yet to become a reality as the issue of cargo
congestion has continued unabated at the ports,” he said, adding that
the trend was being compounded by the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report
(PAAR), issuance and wrong computation, huge demurrage to shipping
companies, gridlocks on roads to the ports, among others.
He counseled that to minimize multiple taxation and
levies, which bogged firms operating in the country, the task force
already constituted should intensify efforts to eliminate harassment by
tax officials.
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