DAILY TRUST, Friday, October 16, 2020 11 Like us on follow us on Twitter: Facebook.com/dailytrust @daily_trust To make agricultural sector more productive and sustainable, we must invest massively By Hon. Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono (NESP) was launched in July 2020. The project is targeted at mitigating the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on farmers. The goal of the plan is to lead to the creation of about five to ten Million jobs in the agricultural sector, to cultivate more land in each state, provide zero interest loans to farmers, amongst others. The first phase of the scheme has produced over 1.1 million beneficiaries across all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FTC). Out of the 5 million planned beneficiaries for AFJP, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has empowered 1,138,000 farmer-beneficiaries across the 36 states and the FCT under the first phase of implementation. Since the beginning of the 2020 farming season, the Ministry has distributed inputs in states across the country to boost food production.Nigerialastyearrecordedaboostintheproduction of her major staple crops. According to the data from the Ministry, maize and rice production rose from 12.8 and 12.3 to 13.94 and 14.28 million metric tonnes (MMT) respectively last year. The same is obtainable for cassava with production increase from 58.47 MMT in 2018 to 73.91 – and even projected to rise to 93.6 by 2023. Growth has also been recorded for groundnut, tomatoes, and sorghum production. Cattle beef, milk and fish production also rose by 166 percent, 146 percent and 11 percent respectively between 2018 and 2019. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Bureau of Statistics report indicates that Nigeria’s National Agricultural Import Bill also reduced from 1.2 to 1.1 billion Naira. 5 The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is not resting on its oars in addressing challenges of the country’s agricultural sector. The Federal Government through the Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support project (APPEALS) has set aside N600 billion as loan support to farmers across the country. No fewer than 2.4 million farmers are expected to benefit from the loan which has zero interest. The gesture will support farmers in the country to improve their productivity aimed at boosting the country’s agricultural sector. The support was to complement the Federal Government policy on agriculture, which include promoting food security, improving farmers’ production and also increasing exportation. The participating States include Kano, Kaduna, Cross Rivers, Enugu, Lagos and Kogi. It is clear from foregoing, that if the agricultural sector must be made more productive and sustainable, we must all be prepared to invest massively in it in order to quickly rise to the call against looming food crisis as already predicted by the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). Thank you and God bless you all. of the crisis on farmers and food security in Nigeria. In his address to the nation on the extension of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on Monday 13th April, 2020, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria directed me, the National Security Adviser, the Vice Chairman, National Food Security Council and the Chairman, Presidential Fertilizer Initiative to work with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to ensure the impact of this pandemic on our 2020 farming season is minimized. To mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on Nigeria’s food security, I approved the setting up of a seven-member Joint Technical Task Team on emergency response to COVID-19. The Team which was replicated nationwide has helped in facilitating the free and unhindered movement of farmers, food, livestock and agricultural inputs across the country during the lockdown. On the orders of Mr. President also, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has coordinated the release of over 70,000 MT of grains to vulnerable Nigerians to cushion the effects of the pandemic. This year, hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice, maize, sorghum including livestock and fisheries have been affected by flood devastation in the country. A Special Committee has been set up by the Ministry to act on the emerging flood issues and come up with strategies to minimize its effects on agricultural production in order to avert food crisis and ensure sustainable food security for the nation. Already, a comprehensive flood mitigation and resilience plan for the affected farming communities nationwide has been finalized by the Ministry for consideration and approval by the President. TheMinistryhasraisedhernationalfoodreservestockto109,657 a figure expected to be further increased to 219,900 MT by the end of 2020. Agriculture for Food and Job Plan (AFJP), a component of President Buhari’s Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan I T is my pleasure to welcome you to this press briefing towards thecelebrationof WorldFoodDay. World Food Day is celebrated annually around the world on 16th October in more than 150 countries to raise global awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger. The theme of this year is “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. Our actions are our future”. You are aware that most of the themes adopted by the World Food Day each year are areas that revolve around agriculture. This occasion therefore, is an all-important event as it provides the platform to think on the gains of the agricultural sector to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Let me quickly remind you that the mandate of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is to ensure food security, generate employment, promote the production and supply of raw materials to Agro-industries, promote market access and competitiveness for foreign exchange earnings and facilitate rural socio-economic development. As a nation, we consider the relevance of eradicating poverty and hunger and transforming our food production systems to ensure sustainable food security. Significant progress has therefore been made to improve agricultural productivity since the inception of the present administration. To boost food security, Nigeria has curbed imports and has established a robust rice production programme to encourage more rice production at home. Efforts in this direction are starting to show results as Nigeria is now Africa’s largest producer of Rice. The country is also the largest producer of cassava in the world. A range of policies and initiatives to strengthen the rice and cassava value chains have been put in place. The economic potentials of both livestock and fisheries are also being harnessed and respective value chains selected and targeted for development. In an attempt to diversify the economy, Federal Government has continued with its renewed focus on the agricultural sector. The government has deepened the culture with the Anchor Borrowers programme initiative and ban on the importation of some agro-commodities. However, the effects COVID-19 pandemic and impact of climate change are contributing to low productivity in the sector. The disruptions occasioned by the pandemic and flood disasters in the country came at a significant cost to Nigeria’s agricultural production.Atpresent,therearegrowingconcernsontheimplications Availability of agri-food inputs including mechanization technologies is another measure to improve Food security and nutrition in Nigeria. Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono is the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Grow, Nourish, Sustain, Together. Our Actions Are Our Future By Fred Kafeero for agri-food value chains with digital solutions and innovations, ensuring that advisory support, producer associations, cooperatives, and extension workers continue to support foodsystemsandproductionvaluechains,with special emphasis on food chain risk mitigation, food safety, and quality control. Promotingmoreuseof climate-smartandenvironmentally friendly agricultural practices that incorporate innovation and digitization to slow the habitat destruction, which as we know leads to climate variability and its associated shocks. They should also gear policy decisions towards transformative change based on data, scientific evidence and analysis and besides, they should work with the international community to close the digital gap and ensuring that technology flows to developing countries. Private sector, especially in the food-related businesses and retailers can mitigate the effects of the pandemic by investing in sustainable, resilient food systems that generate decent employment. They also contribute in developing, adapting and sharing technologies that transform food systems and make food options attractive, available and affordable. TheCovid-19pandemichasremindedeveryone that food security and nutritious diets matter to all. We should make food choices that improve both our health and that of our food systems and also cherish preserving habits that support these choices. We should also respect food and its producers and above all, we should join global solidarity efforts towards sustainable food systems. FAO’s work in the country concentratesonimprovingfoodandnutritionsecurity are hit hardest by the pandemic and resulting economic shocks. and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, This year’s celebrations call for global cooperation thereby creating the impetus for economic and solidarity to make sure that the threats growth in the agriculture and rural sector. COVID-19 is posing to food security and agricultural The World Food Day theme “Grow, nourish, sustain.Together.Ouractionsareourfuture”iscalling livelihoods are confronted, and the most vulnerable are able to get back on their feet. for more resilient and robust agri-food systems,andforglobalsolidarity-bothvitalforour This is the occasion to sensitize the public on how everybody has a role to play in ending recovery from this crisis, and for building back hunger by transforming our food systems by better. changing the way we produce, transform, consume We need to make a commitment this World and waste our food. Food Day for each of us to play a role in transformingfoodsystemssotheyaremoreresilient, As we mark this day, it is important for governments to urgently address the devastating capable of providing affordable and sustainable effects that the economic slowdown will have healthy diets for all, and decent livelihoods on the most vulnerable populations. Timely for food system workers. response is of essence to build effective social World Food Day is also an opportunity to publicly protection responses and policies that ensure recognize our food system workers or safe conditions and decent incomes for smallholder #FoodHeroes who have continued to produce, farmers and food chain workers, and plant, harvest, fish or transport our food, adopt measures that avoid food price volatility. despite these difficult times, helping to grow, Foodproduction,transport,marketinganddistribution nourish and sustain our world. are no doubt essential services that Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2019 mustbesustained,whileensuringstrategicpolicy United Nation’s report on Tracking Progress on coordination between health, agriculture Food and Agriculture Related Sustainable and social protection. DevelopmentGoals(SGDs)notedthattheworld This can be through adopting key support services and AFRICA was ‘off- track’ to meeting the goals by 2030. Because of conflicts, extreme weather, economic slowdowns and downturns as drivers. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbatedthesituation,withattendantincreaseinfood prices, complicated by the recent floods and other challenges across the country. reserving access to safe and nutritious food is and will continue to be an essential part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for poor and vulnerable communities, who T HE World Food Day (WFD) celebratedinover130 UN’s Member States including Nigeria on October 16 every year to promote worldwide awareness and action for elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. This year is a milestone, as the WFD also marks 75 years of FAO’s existence – shortly before the UN was born. The same year when Nigeria is marking its Diamond jubilee as an independent nation. FAO is one of the three Rome-based agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP) working to eliminate hunger, foodinsecurityandmalnutrition,catalyserural developmentandpromotesustainableagriculture. FAO’s interventions focus on providing policy advice, supporting government to assemble, analyze data and disseminate outcomes, setting global standards and codes of conduct; and strengthening technical capacities of member governments to improve agricultural development and to respond to emergencies, while strengthening resilience to shocks This is realized through our unique global pool of experts in agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, natural resource management and food security. Here in Nigeria, for 42 years now FAO has been supporting the Government of Nigeria by assisting in the planning and implementation of its agricultural policies, strategies and programmes. Fred Kafeero is the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Farmers produce the food we eat, we all have a role to play in ending hunger