FG set to replace ATAP, APP policies

There is indication that the two popular agricultural policies of the Federal Government (FG) will soon be reviewed and replaced finally according to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Alhaji Muhammed Sabo Nanono. This was contained in a press release made available to the journalists.

The press statement signed by the representative of the Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Mrs. Okeh Juliet quoted the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Muhammed Sabo Nanono as saying that the subsisting agricultural policies will be modified to a more better agricultural policy for the benefit of all stakeholders at the food value chains.

Nanono stated that  ‘’the Ministry has established two important committees to review the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA), Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP) and other relevant policy frameworks in order to develop an agricultural policy that will be vigorously pursued in the next three to four years to ensure standardization of inputs, access to mechanization, extension, finance and markets for farmers’’.

The Minister during the 40^th edition, Kano International Trade Fair flag-off was stated in the press release as saying that the FG will partner states, and the organized private sector to promote Agribusiness Enterprises in four major areas of farm input supply companies, increasing farming activities, reviving food processing firms, and formalising food marketing and distribution.

 He added that efforts aimed at achieving a diversified economy is not a monopoly of the Federal Government stressing that ‘’it requires a collaborative approach among all the tiers of government, the private sector, the educational institutions and range of development partners in agricultural value chain and civil society organizations.

The Minister emphasised the need to find a common approach to develop selected high potential commodities in areas of comparative advantage, noting that Kano State is one of such states with high potentials in many commodities, including rice, tomatoes, soybeans, cotton, sugarcane, groundnuts, millet and maize among others.  

He said that he has visited states including; Gombe, Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano where this approach has been extensively discussed by major stakeholders in the agricultural value chain, promising to visit other states across the country in order to generate consensus and buy-in, so that the policy direction will be demand driven.

 The Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje promised to put in place all the necessary machineries that will promote agricultural value chain in the state and to create the right environment for both local and foreign investors to invest in Kano State.

The Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATAP) was the FMARD policy that promoted the inputs distribution of seeds and fertilizers to the farmers through the use of electronics alerts from smart phones during the era of Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina as Minister, while the Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP) was introduced by the immediate past Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh that emphasised growing comparative crops in a more appropriate ecology for agric commercialization. Which was built on the successes of the ATA?