FG Seeks Transparent Distribution of Agro-inputs to Genuine Farmers
Insecurity remains major threat to food security, says Sokoto, Bago promises to make Niger top agrarian state
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has said the ministry would implement stringent measures to ensure transparent distribution of agro-inputs as well as target genuine farmers in the forthcoming dry/wet season farming for rice, maize, and cassava.
The minister said the President was concerned about the capacity of farmers to access agro-inputs even at the current subsidised rate as observed during the last intervention for dry season wheat programme.
Speaking at separate meetings with the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umaru Bago, and his Sokoto State counterpart, Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, over the weekend in Abuja, he said further support was underway for farmers to ameliorate their plight of access.
He said collaboration with states, local governments, traditional rulers, NGOs, and relevant MDAs will be crucial in achieving this objective.
The minister said the federal government remained committed to ramping up massive production of staple crops using technology and mechanisation to boost food security in the country.
Kyari pointed out that the Expression of Interest for the dry season production of the three staples which he sent to all the 36 states and FCT, had elicited a great deal of enthusiasm.
According to him, the letter captured a design structure that speaks to farmers’ data integrity, inventory of available irrigable lands as well as functional irrigation infrastructure with the primary aim of determining the readiness of participating states.
He said the governors’ visit was an “attestation to the strong alliance and synergy we are motivated to build between the federal and state governments in our shared efforts to ensure food security and agricultural growth in Nigeria.”
He said the endowments of Niger with the largest landmass in the country, abundant water resources and vast arable land, were not in doubt, as it easily offers itself for massive agricultural production.
He said, “We recognise that fundamental governance issues as elsewhere is to translate these agricultural potentials into sustainable reality, against the backdrop of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda with great expectation for food security and related matters.
“We believe that a firm handshake between the two tiers of government at the minimum should produce salutary results in our collective quest for food security and attendant value chain benefits.”
Kyari further affirmed that the agricultural sector in Niger had witnessed outstanding accomplishments since the inception of Bago’s administration.
He said, “I am confident that through our continued collaboration and dedication, we will overcome current challenges we face and achieve our collective goals for a more prosperous agricultural sector in Nigeria.”
Similarly, the minister said Sokoto’s visit was a substantiation of the strong partnership and collaboration that the federal government was striving to build between the states and the federal government in its collective efforts to ensure food security and agricultural development in the country.