Agric Minister Gives Tinubu’s One Year Scorecard in Food Security

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By Michael Nnebife

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has said that the ministry has spent N309 billion to boost food security in Nigeria over the past one year.

The Minister said this, among others, on 27th May, during a briefing on a sectoral update to mark the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s Administration in Abuja.

He highlighted several achievements of the administration aimed at ensuring food security, enhancing market access and competitiveness, and generating employment in the Agricultural Sector.

According to him, some of the key initiatives implemented to drive food and nutrition security, include the launch of 2023-2024 Dry-season Farming across 15 states, which supported 107,429 wheat farmers with produce of 474,628 metric tonnes.

Kyari stated that the Agric Ministry had distributed 58,500 metric tonnes of milled rice nationwide in an attempt to curb rising food prices.

He maintained that the Ministry also undertook significant measures to boost agricultural production and control food inflation which he itemized to include the distribution of improved seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals, and equipment to farmers.

He further explained that the Ministry had implemented measures to combat ginger blight disease and had developed 23 improved crop varieties and promoted e-extension services to enhance farmer support.

He added that the Ministry had also partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to distribute 2.15 million bags of fertilizer free of charge to farmers.

Kyari further disclosed that the Ministry had distribution of over 14 million doses of vaccines and had established numerous animal health centres and other facilities, including pest control operations, to bolster livestock production and animal health.

The Minister noted substantial progress in mechanisation through collaborations with international partners, resulting in the supply of tractors and other machinery.

According to the Minister, the Ministry had trained and empowered 20,755 farmers, including youths and women, on agri-business and poverty reduction across the country.

In rural infrastructure development, he said that the Ministry had constructed 77.8km of asphalt roads, including 130.9 km of earthen roads and boreholes, and installed solar street lights which had created nearly 60,000 jobs in rural areas with other initiatives to manage agricultural lands and address climate change, including soil analysis, water conservation training, and climate-smart agriculture practices.

Kyari said that efforts were ongoing to consolidate those achievements and further develop Nigeria’s Agricultural Sector, including enhancing agro-industrial and Agro-tourism Sectors, and improving access to credit through the Bank of Agriculture.

He reiterated the commitment to scaling up those successes to improve food security and boost export potentials, while ensuring the Agricultural Sector remained a key driver of Nigeria’s economic growth.

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