Feed Nigeria Summit: Agric Minister Receives Knock for Neglecting Key Agric Stakeholders

Gilbert Ekugbe

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has faulted the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for neglecting key stakeholders at the just conclude Feed Nigeria Summit (FNS) in Abuja.

The Assistant Publicity Secretary of AFAN, Salisu Mukhtar, in a statement also criticised the Ministry for organising such an important event in the height of a rainy season without a National Agricultural Policy to replace the defunct Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) launched in 2015.

According to him, the Ministry excluded many key stakeholders in the country’s food system value chains, such as, AFAN, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), National Agency for Food, Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for its good work in the agriculture space at the event.

Mukhtar said: “It is nebulous that a “Feed Nigeria Summit” is taking place in August, the height of the rainy season in Nigeria (North), without a National Agricultural Policy to replace the defunct APP launched in 2015. The proposed NATIP (National Agricultural Transformation and Innovation Plan) is still in draft form awaiting validation from stakeholders in the six geopolitical zones, approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the nod of NASS and a formal public launch to be able to hit the ground running! “There must be appropriation for it in the budget for it to be implemented too!”The attempt to do a “Feed Nigeria Summit” at this time is not well thought out as it even excludes so many stakeholders in the food system.”

He warned that the country’s national food system will face a stiffer challenges if care is not taken to properly address four cardinal components which includes production, processing, distribution and consumption at this period of harvesting season.

He said several factors influencing the food system in the country are seed, climate, soil health, water availability, research, labour, waste management, energy, transportation etc.
To him, all these must also be considered in the evolution of a veritable policy by the Agric ministry instead of prematurely making ineffective high sounding propositions to gain publicity at the expenses of neglecting critical agric policies.

“The National Food System will be broken if care is not taken as its four cardinal components namely: Production, Processing, Distribution and Consumption are not being properly addressed. The several factors influencing the Food system such as Seed, Climate, Soil Health, Water availability, Research, Labor, Waste management, Energy, transportation etc. must also be considered in the evolution of a veritable policy by the FMARD instead of prematurely making ineffective high sounding propositions to gain publicity,” he added.

While reacting to the agric minister’s invitation of a factional group in AFAN, the AFAN assistant publicity secretary said, the invitation of one Faruk Rabi’u Mudi to represent AFAN by the FMARD is an abuse of court process since there is a pending matter in the federal high court, Abuja slated for hearing on 27th September, 2021.

“The Minister should be well advised to surround himself with knowledgeable people instead of groping in the dark in executing the charter of the office of the Minister,” he added.