2021-03-04 13:30:46 GMT2021-03-04 21:30:46(Beijing Time) Xinhua English LAGOS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), one of Nigeria's agricultural research institutes on Thursday called on the government to scale up investment in irrigation farming to ramp up agricultural production and avert food crises. Speaking at a press conference in Kaduna state, north Nigeria, Emmanuel Ikani, executive director for the institute responsible for the development, collation, evaluation and dissemination of proven agricultural innovations in the country, said the investment would increase production. He said it has become imperative to abandon the idea of farming only during the rainy season which could not continue to avert the negative challenge.