From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi, has said President Bola Tinubu is reforming the agriculture sector to deliver food sovereignty for Nigerians.
He stressed that the reforms were designed to give Nigerians access to food that is available, affordable, nutritious and sustainable.
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Speaking yesterday at a workshop organised by the Senate Press Corps with the theme: ‘Parliamentary reporting: Issues, challenges and responsibilities,’ he said the administration was deliberately shifting from food security to food sovereignty to ensure that Nigerians produce and consume sufficient food locally without dependence on imports.
“President Bola Tinubu’s vision is for us to have food sovereignty, which means sufficient food produced by our own citizens, consumed by our own citizens, so that our dependence on other sources is minimal,” Abdullahi told journalists at the National Assembly.
He explained that the government has adopted all-year-round farming as official policy, moving away from seasonal cultivation.
According to him, this will be achieved by promoting irrigation agriculture and providing farmers with the right inputs to enable up to four farming cycles annually for certain commodities.
“Rainy season and dry season farming alone cannot take us there. That is why we are adopting irrigation agriculture to ensure production continues all year round,” the minister said.
He also disclosed that the administration was prioritising the reduction of post-harvest losses, which he said account for up to 70 percent of some commodities. Through the Post-Harvest Connect programme, the ministry is linking farmers to the entire value chain to minimise waste.
On input costs, he said the government was working to boost local production of fertilisers and other essentials to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on expensive imports.
Transportation, the minister added, is another area receiving presidential attention. “The President has given a marching order with a Federal Executive Council committee already working on promoting safe passage of agricultural produce across the country. High transport cost is one of the reasons food is expensive,” he said. He further announced plans to launch a Farmer Soil Health Scheme, describing soil as the foundation of agriculture.
He also said Tinubu was reforming the cooperative system as a tool for mobilising resources, generating economic activities and improving farmers’ livelihoods. “Mr President has shown tremendous interest in the cooperative sector as a veritable tool for economic activity generation. If you don’t have one, approach my office, I will help you achieve that.
“We don’t want a situation where you eat three square meals today and tomorrow you go hungry. Our programmes are structured to ensure consistency and stability,” he stated.
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