The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi has tasked the Farm Management Association of Nigeria (FARMAN) to come up with a holistic plan of action that will ensure stable food security in the country.

Prof. Florence Obi stated this during the opening ceremony of the 34th Annual Conference of FARMAN with the theme, ‘’Agriculture and Economic Development: Strengthening the Nexus in a Covid-19 Era’’, held at the Senate Chambers of the institution.

Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Prof. Michael Okom, she said the country is currently faced with the issue of food insecurity hence the need for FARMAN to redouble its efforts towards addressing the menace.

According to her, “we can make more money from Agriculture than oil if we take our activities serious. If we initiate the right plan of action we can beat our chest in the committee of nations to be the highest producer of food.

“If we do the right things we can comfortably become the food basket of Africa’’.

The Vice Chancellor urged FARMAN to refrain some armchair ideas and embrace practical ideas, saying this will enable the association achieve its lofty objectives.

The President of FARMAN, Dr. Damian I. Agom, in his welcome address, stated that the theme of the conference was carefully chosen owing to the current challenges confronting the agricultural sector of the country, adding that, presentations at the Association’s Annual conferences are usually very practical- oriented.

The President assured that the keynote papers and concurrent sessions will come up with practical brilliant positions that will take agriculture and the economy of the country to an unprecedented level.

Dr. Agom said the outcome of the discourse will be summarized in the communique and circulated to the government at all levels including non-governmental agencies.

He commended Unical for playing active roles in the Association, even as he appreciated the Vice Chancellor for giving a conducive environment for the conference and providing other facilities to ensure a comfortable stay in Calabar.

The President disclosed that the first recipient of Award of Fellow of the Association is from Unical, stressing that, it is the highest award of the Association.

The Chairman of the occasion, the Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Cross River State, Ntufam OKon Nyong Owuna said that Covid-19 had adversely affected food security.

He therefore appealed to every participant to put their hands on deck so as to address the impact of Covid-19 on food insecurity, disclosing that the Cross River State has invested massively on Agriculture.

The Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, Prof Walter Bisong Binang, said that the faculty is committed in producing graduates knowledgeable in all fields of agriculture.

To achieve this laudable initiative, the Dean said the faculty has already initiated the process of collaborating with a number of large-scale oil palm concerns, such as the ‘JB farms’.

He said that the collaboration with JB Farms is to transform the faculty into a Centre of Excellence in Oil Palm research, Production and Entrepreneurship.

The occasion featured presentation of goodwill messages from a Council Member, Prof Bassey Igri Okon and immediate Past Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Ausaji Ayuk

Highlights of the occasion was presentation of award of fellow to an erudite Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife Resources Management, Prof Sylvanus Obi amongst others