Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, has disclosed that despite the fact that Nigeria has 84 million hectares of arable land, she was only able to cultivate about 40 percent.

"He added that, "We have 263 billion cubic meters of water (with two of the largest rivers in Africa). We have a cheap labour force to support agricultural intensification and our population of 167 million makes us a huge market".

The VC stated this at the second Department of Agricultural and Bioystems Engineering Lecture held at the University of Ilorin yesterday, lamenting the poor state of food production in Nigeria.

Prof Ambali, however, stressed that the lecture marked another turning point in the chronological account of the University's commitment to serving the community and developing humanity through research.

The VC also said Nigeria has a long history of using traditional agricultural techniques, which have restricted sustainable agricultural development and resulted in unfavourable repercussions on agricultural output.

Also, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Mr. Isaac Ademola, said that the use of modern technology, especially biosystems engineering in farming, has substantially transformed food production in the country.

Mr. Ademola, in his lecture entitled, 'Transforming Agricultural Production through Science and Technological Innovation', observed that "farmers and biosystems engineers have always faced the challenge of providing enough food for the ever growing human population".

He said: "Through the use of technology, each farmer is able to feed 155 people today, compared to 1940, when one farmer could feed only 19 people.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Dr. J. O. Olaoye, said that the Department is worried by the challenges facing Nigeria in terms of food security and decided to have this lecture annually to call attention to the advancement in science, engineering and technological innovations.