FG Has Boosted Agriculture Through Expanding initiative on land management, infrastructure provision
Judex OKORO
The federal government says it has boosted agriculture by expanding initiatives on land management, infrastructure provision and research innovation.
The expanded initiatives will also promote agribusiness undertakings and human safety for the desired socio economic development in the country as well as significantly reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported products.
Speaking at the closing session of the 46th Regular Meeting of National Council on Agriculture and Food Security in Calabar on Thursday, the minister of agriculture and food security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said government is recommitted to providing incentives for increased private investment in the economy along the activities of extension services, input support, agro processing, food safety and food reserve.
According to Kyari, one of the ways of sustaining this commitment is through the instrument of the Renewed Hope Agriculture Program, the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy and the Ministerial Roadmap and Priority Actions.
The minister added that the recurring principle is to empower the citizenry, grow the economy and promote global competitiveness through the proper utilisation of the country’s human and material endowment.
"As such, we have embraced a strong stakeholder partnership along a state and non state spectrum, to pool, streamline and deploy ideas, initiatives, resources and interventions.
"It is a process of ensuring a balance in the socio-economic exigencies of providing an
enabling environment for people and businesses in the country.
"Efforts in this direction are on incentivizing businesses through infrastructure, fiscal and credit instruments, as well as supporting vulnerable groups with food relief.
"Other initiatives are on accessing external funds windows to augment normal revenue sources, and engaging in intra- and inter- continental free trade regimes.
"As required, the primary interest is to explore comparative advantage, utilise domestic resources, promote industrial
enterprise and increase local production.
"In terms of strategies, we are actualizing the deliverables on land and climate management services, private – driven mechanisation program, food and nutrition program, and agricultural extension services delivery," he stated.
While noting other strategies to include modalities on farm input he also mentioned that of the National food serve stock, agricultural insurance cooperation, agricultural bank recapitalization and commodity hub promotion to be others.
He further said there are measures on youth, women and livelihood programs for community-driven agricultural production, rural infrastructure development and value-addition processing facilities.
According to him, "priority actions, ongoing tasks include the delivery of agro inputs to farmers, the repositioning agricultural institutions and the deepening engagement amongst farmers, herders and communities.
"Others are collaboration on water resources irrigation schemes, soil fertility and information system, laboratories establishment in research institutes, and relevant universities, faculties and colleges repositioning."
To aggressively drive mechanisation program, Kyari said the federal and state governments are implementing Messrs Origin, John Deere, Belarus and Brazil’s partnerships for the purpose of closing the tractorisation gap and increasing production.
"On commodity production, we are executing the AfDB assisted National Agricultural Growth Scheme for providing inputs for all year around farming of wheat, rice, cassava, maize, sorghum and soybean nationwide.
"With regards to renewable energy, collaboration is on the development and promotion of bio-fuel, solar electricity and wind turbine technology for farm and domestic
power supply.
"Also a focus is the promotion of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification for farmers, export of farm produce to achieve zero rejection of export, as well as the establishment and enforcement of standards and guidelines to regulate activities along the value chain," explained the minister.
