FG to upscale food production

Cross Section at the 2017 Agriculture Joint Review

*prioritizes 10 key agric projects

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has disclosed that the federal government was working hard to upscale the present level of its production from 45 percent increase to higher level of productivity. He said this while addressing the participants of the Joint Sector Review in Abuja.

The Minister named ten key prioritized projects to include; the comprehensive livestock development project; input transformation project; expanded access to finance and markets project; value addition and processing support project, agriculture water management and agriculture manpower development project.

Others he listed are agricultural research and innovation project, produce and commodity storage systems, commercial agriculture expansion support project and nutrition, quality control and standardization project for a food sustainable society.

 Ogbeh, who was represented by Director, Planning and Policy Coordination, Auwal Mai-Dabino, said Government’s strategic intervention in the sector, especially through the Anchor Borrowers’ programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had reduced rice import from 500,000MT in 2015 to 58,000MT last year.

He mentioned other notable reforms in the sector to include the restoration of the National Agricultural Land and Development Authority (NALDA) and the three Universities of Agriculture that were already returned to the ministry.

He assured that the present administration would continue to partner and collaborate with stakeholders through the joint sector review for a realistic and transparent assessment of the performance and results of the sector, adding that it will help government in setting sector policy and priorities among other gains.

While accessing the performance, Prof. Olomola Aderibigbe from the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), pointed at the poor marketing system operated in the country that has led to 45% reduction of the countries agricultural production noted that serious emphasis needed to be put on improving our marketing strength as a nation to boosting production, promoting export and investment, so that farmers will benefit from the sales of their produce.

The Country Team Leader of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Dr. Kehinde Makinde appealed to the government at all levels to create an enabling environment for businesses, especially industries to buy raw materials from farmers adding it would help the government to make informed decisions that would promote the agriculture sector as he pointed the policy dialogue would also afford Nigeria the opportunity to firm up its report for presentation to the African Union Summit in January 2018.

The Vice National Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Chief Daniel Okafor commended the FG and other development partners for instituting the review as a way of helping farmers in term of marketing of their produce.

Mrs. Nkiruka Nnaemego, the Founder of the Fresh and Young Brains Development Initiative, appealed to the Federal Government to support the youths in agriculture by providing land to young farmers.