The Federal Government has harped on the implementation of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) Act that makes provision for the council to establish spin-off companies to commercialise research products and innovations by the institutions. 
  
It tasked research institutes to strengthen the platform, as a means of increasing their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to augment the available fund for research, training and extension activities. 
  
The call is in line with the reform process of the Nigeria Agricultural Research System (NARS) to boost crop yield, following growing concerns about the shortage of staple crops such as rice, wheat, cassava, soybean, millet, sorghum among others, which are key to the achievement of food security in the country. 
  
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abubakar Kyari, during a meeting with heads of research institutes in Abuja.also admitted that research and training play vital roles to drive agricultural transformation, research and training, adding that “research remains the engine room” for agricultural development. He said: “Our priority, as a ministry, is, therefore, to reposition the NARS for greater productivity.”
  
Stakeholders had expressed concern over the low yield per hectare of crops in the country, saying while farmers in other countries were getting between 10 and 20 tonnes per hectare, Nigerian farmers were still battling with between half and two tonnes per hectare. 
  
They further stressed the need for the government to invest more in agriculture research, as well as enhance uptake of newly developed varieties. The Minister, who was represented by the Minister of State, Sabi Abdullahi, directed the colleges to emphasise vocational and skill acquisition in their training programmes and ensure the programmes were more practical and less theoretical. 
  
This, according to him, would enable the beneficiaries of the training programmes to have practical and working knowledge of agricultural businesses, directing ARCN to work with relevant stakeholders in the agricultural education sub-sector to actualise this directive.
  
Executive Secretary of ARCN, Prof  Garba Sharabutu, who emphasised the importance of the workshop, stated that the council would use the meeting to deliberate on  the new performance-based evaluation system, among others, as well as issues that have to do with the restructuring of the council.
 
 He disclosed that the council is working with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to draw its own curriculum to meet with the agricultural transformation of the administration.