FG Stimulates Local Food Production to Achieve Self-sufficiency, Attract Investments, Says Agric Minister

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, yesterday contended that the current administration has made it necessary to stimulate local production of food to achieve self-sufficiency, attract investments, create jobs and enhance the livelihood of farming families.

Speaking at the Flag off / Roll out of Agricultural Inputs Distribution to Smallholder Farmers in Osun State at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Office, State office, Osogbo, Osun State, he remarked that the sector has become one of the major contributors to the country’s economy, contributing about 25 per cent to our GDP while small-holder farmers accounting for about 70 per cent of national food production.

The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, stressed that the input roll out/distribution to farmers in Osun State would open up investment opportunities, create jobs for stakeholders and facilitate increased production as well as food and nutrition security.

According to him “the agricultural sector has been a priority for the current administration to stimulate local production of food to achieve self-sufficiency, attract investments, create jobs and enhance the livelihood of farming families.”

He noted that “this was achieved through the implementation of strategic policies such as the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP), the Green Imperative, Agricultural Promotion Policy, as well as the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) among others.”

The minister said that the impact of these policies and programmes manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a lot of disruptions along the agricultural value chains, leading to global trade disruptions, resulting in heavy economic losses to farmer’s livelihood.

He opined that the ministry designed a support programme that targeted small-holder farmers to enhance their family income, create jobs and generate wealth. It is, therefore, my pleasure to be here with you today to roll out the distribution of agricultural inputs, which included seeds, oil palm seedlings, vines of orange flesh sweet potatoes, one node vine cuttings of yam and its seeds, cassava stems as well as different agricultural equipment to smallholder farmers.

The Minister also stressed that distribution was part of the efforts of the ministry to intervene on the sufferings of the small holder farmers occasioned by insecurity and COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural production in Nigeria to avert food scarcity in the near future.

However, the ministry has distributed 3,000 oil palm seedlings, 1,500 kg cashew seeds; 20,000 nos certified seed yams as well as 200 litres of pathaway organic growth enhancer. Others are 4,000 bundles of orange fleshed sweet potatoes; 3,000 bundles of cassava stems as well as various agricultural equipment and agro chemicals.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Osun State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Atoyebi Sunday, commended President Mohammadu Buhari, the Agricultural Minister, the Executive Governor of Osun State of Osun and also the Permanent Secretary for this great favour bestowed on Osun farmers.

He said that rolling-out of this agricultural inputs came in at the right time when the raining season is about to begin.

He noted that the distribution of this farm inputs to farmers is to boost agricultural production in the country and avert food scarcity in 2022 and years to come.