Minister advocates strategies to mitigate foods import, more FOREX

The Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono has stressed more galvanized strategies towards sufficient foods production that will enhance more Foreign Exchange (FOREX) earnings.

Nanono said this while delivering a keynote address at the Feed Nigeria summit held at Sheraton, Abuja this week Monday.

Nanono said that "Nigeria still imports a significant amount of food, and we are not earning as much foreign exchange as we should from agriculture, and that is why it has become pertinent that we re-strategize and deploy innovations to tackle these longstanding issues that can lead Nigeria towards food sufficiency"

He described our food system as having no shock absorbers saying "It is important to note that at this point our food systems architecture remains weak and vulnerable to shocks. We are, however, committed to continuing to work to support key-value chain activities such as input distribution, farm production, processing, distribution and marketing by providing better coordination and infrastructural support. 

Nanono wants the summit to explore pathways that will help build Nigeria’s Agribusiness ecosystem efficiently, and sustainably, stressed that Government would continue to deliver interventions that will address the challenges at the agricultural value chains to end the impact of post-COVID 19 on the sector.  

The minister added that the current administration, under President Muhammadu Buhari is keen on creating an enabling environment for the private sector to ensure the recovery of the sector for more productivity.

"At the federal ministry of agriculture and rural development, we remain gallant in our support to the strategic private sector that will provide the much-needed infrastructure, systems, control processes, and oversight to ensure a proactive commercial development of Nigeria’s agricultural market. 

"We hope that all stakeholders including farmers, investors, financial institutions, subnational governments, and local communities continue to collaborate effectively in ensuring the full implementation of the agricultural policy. 

"To this end, emphasis will be placed on tracking the implementation status of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) as well as the Green Imperative Programme of the Government. 

"The administration, at the Federal, State, and local government levels, remains committed to reducing food and nutrition insufficiencies and to improving the health and quality of life of the Nigerian people," he added.

Also speaking,  the minister of state, Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehuri, said for a sustainable food system, we must rise to overcome challenges of poor quality food supplies, hunger, malnutrition, and improper food habits of promoting food wastage.  

"Indeed the food consumption pattern must change to reduce food waste.  This is the acceptable consumption behavior globally that an average Nigerian especially in the Urban areas pays little or no attention to. 

"If we devote so much to produce, we should pay more attention to avoid wastages because of its negative economic and environmental impact"

 Shehuri also called on the private sector to champion the campaign against food wastages, by deploying initiatives that would reduce food loss.