By Gbenga Akingbule
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is vigorously implementing President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, with a resolute commitment to ensuring food availability, affordability, and accessibility for every Nigerian, the Minister of Agriculture Sen. Abubakar Kyari has said.
Gatekeepers News reports that Senator Kyari, disclosed this in Maiduguri on Sunday, saying the ministry has initiated a multi-faceted approach to overcoming challenges in the sector.
According to him, a national wheat farming programme has been launched to drastically reduce Nigeria’s reliance on wheat imports, which currently stand at six million tonnes annually.
Sen. Kyari Kyari, a grounded and well-respected politician in Borno State, explained that broader reforms include the distribution of fertilisers to farmers, which boosted rice production by 58,000 tonnes and allowed for subsidised rice distribution to flood-affected states in the country.
The Minister noted that insecurity and widespread flooding have severely impacted Nigeria’s agricultural output.
To counter these setbacks, the ministry has rolled out several key initiatives. Cross River State has become the first southern state to join the wheat production drive.
” In addition to wheat, the ministry has championed a successful rice programme, leading to positive harvests nationwide,” Kyari said.
The Minister emphasised the delicate balance between safeguarding consumers’ and producers’ welfare, noting that “80% of our food is produced by our local farmers.”
The government’s immediate priority, he affirmed, is to tackle affordability, ensuring every Nigerian can access nutritious food.”
Looking ahead to Nigeria’s projected population of 400 million by 2050, the ministry is focused on empowering youth through mechanised agriculture to achieve robust food security and agricultural development.
The federal government is also committed to restoring national assets, including tractors and other vital equipment, to enhance agricultural productivity.
To minimise post-harvest losses, the Minister revealed a bilateral agreement with Brazil for the preservation, processing, and storage of perishable agricultural products.
He added that Nigeria has partnered with Belarus to provide service providers for farming aggregation, aiming for massive productivity gains.
The Minister issued a stern warning to farmers mismanaging government-provided tractors and equipment, urging their judicious use to boost local agriculture.
He also announced plans to reactivate Nigeria’s largely dormant silo sites; currently, only three are active.
” The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will collaborate with stakeholders to ensure these critical storage facilities are fully utilised.” Sen. Kyari said.
