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| President, Yemi Osinbajo |
According to the Federal government, the committee will help in identifying all that the country needs in order to become self-sufficient in rice and wheat and step up current efforts to produce those commodities in Nigeria.
”What we are trying to achieve is that agriculture is our main stay and we are trying to evolve a strategy for our economy, a strategy for employment and a strategy for feeding our people,” Osinbajo, stated at the Presidential Villa at the inauguration of the Task Force.
Osinbajo said the need to feed our population is the focus of the Buhari administration. “Rice and wheat is our main focus, and making sure that in one year we can show the world that we are serious.”
Emphasizing on the need to develop strategies to rejuvenate the whole value chain, he gave the following as terms of reference to the panel; To set up production targets for rice and wheat in the participating states; To determine the scope and particulars for government support needed towards the attainment of the set targets; To consider and proffer the best off-take and marketing arrangements that will encourage maximum effort among the farmers/millers.
Other are; To determine the rice and wheat value chain deficiencies and recommend solutions for addressing them; To mobilize farmers and millers in identified target states to engage the CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and other available support facilities and to establish timelines for the delivery of goals set by the Task Force.
Responding, the Chairman of the Task Force and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, thanked the Vice President for the consideration and stated that the disconnect between farmers and millers needs to be addressed. He added that the two bodies in the value chain need to be mobilized for maximum results.
Members of the task force include Governors of Kebbi State Senator Abubakar A. Bagugu, Dr. A. U. Ganduje of Kano State, and Engr. David Umahi of Ebonyi State. Others are the Minister of State for Agriculture Lokpobiri Heineken, the President of Rice Farmers Association Mallam Aminu Goronyo and the President Wheat Farmers Association Saliu Mohammed.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after the inauguration, Governor Bagudu of Kebbi state said he is optimistic the committee will achieve its target within the shortest possible time.
He said, “His Excellency the Vice President invited few state governors, the executive governors of Kano, Kebbi and Ebonyi.
“The Minister of State for Agriculture, the President of Wheat farmers association, President of the Rice farmers association and inaugurated a presidential committee/task force on rice and wheat that will help in identifying all that we need to do in order to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice and wheat and step up current efforts to produce those commodities in Nigeria.
“That’s part of the assignment but we are optimistic that given the current efforts in place across the country, given the industry of our farmers and the increasing interest in investing in agriculture by many well meaning Nigerians we should be able to achieve the target within a short time that will lead to our national aspirations.
“There has been significant achievement in that respect, this last season the executive governor of Kano and myself supported our farmers to produce more wheat and wheat farmers have signed an agreement with the flower millers by which the flower millers agreed to obtain all that the wheat farmers are able to provide.”
“We are seeing increasing interest in rice as well, many millers are now willing to work with farmer group.
He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari has always emphasised the importance of farming and farmers to the Nigerian economy and it is important that they get rewarded for their efforts, the governor of Kano had been doing a lot and it is a model that they will copy.
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