FG assures massive production of staple crops with mechanisation, technology

 

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, gave a guarantee on Friday that the large-scale production of staple crops using technology and mechanization will soon drive down food prices.

During a courtesy visit to the Ministry's Abuja headquarters with his entourage, Dr. Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, the governor of Sokoto State, offered Kyari the guarantee.

He described the Governor's visit as evidence of the Federal Government's and the Sokoto State Government's close cooperation and partnership in creating a joint endeavor to guarantee food security and agricultural growth.

The Minister also expressed hope for future opportunities that the federal government and the government of Sokoto State could take advantage of, particularly in light of the knowledge gained from the first phase of the food production during the dry season, which started with the production of wheat in 15 participating states, including Sokoto.

He claims that the Ministry is aware of the tremendous progress made by the agricultural sector in Sokoto State since the Governor took office and that his government has made efforts to support farmers in the state by providing agricultural inputs.

He said: “The Ministry is focused on ramping up massive production of staple crops using technology and mechanization to achieve this goal.

“We are grateful for the support and guidance of Mr. President as we work towards a more food-secure Nigeria.

“However, it is imperative for us to take the lessons learnt during the review of the implementation of the Wheat Dry Season Farming in the 15 participating states (including Sokoto) and ensure that they add quantifiable value to our agricultural development agenda.

“To that effect the Expression of Interest for the Dry Season Production of Rice, Maize and Cassava that I sent to all the 36 states and FCT (which I am sure Your Excellency received), captures 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. We are already getting responses from some states.

“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is dedicated to implementing stringent measures in the forthcoming Dry/Wet Season Farming for Rice, Maize, and Cassava, to ensure transparent distribution of agro-inputs and targeting genuine farmers. Collaboration with states, local governments, traditional rulers, NGOs, and relevant MDAs will be crucial in achieving this goal.”

According to the Minister, “The President is concerned about the capacity of farmers to access agro-inputs even at the current subsidized rate as observed during the last intervention for Dry Season Wheat Production Programme. To ameliorate this, further support to farmers is underway.

“While Mr. President through FMAFS continues to support multifaceted interventions to farmers at the sub-national level, it is clear however that agro-inputs alone may not suffice in our collective efforts in boosting food production at the desired levels to reduce food inflation and enhance the welfare of farmers and overall productivity.”

Nonetheless, Dr. Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, the governor of Sokoto State, expressed worry about the challenges with insecurity that farmers are facing in his state and revealed that plans are underway to establish a security force in Sokoto State as a result of his administration's determination to ensure the safety of farmers throughout the state so that they can be productive.

In order to bring on genuine farmers, Sokoto claims that his government is working hard to revitalize agriculture in his State. To that end, 100,000 tonnes of various fertilizers were given away for free to actual farmers across all 23 Local Government Areas.

He also said all necessary inputs were supplied to the farmers at a subsidized rate.

“Another reason why I am here is to seek for your support and to see how best we can collaborate as a State so that we can work together to see how we can achieve one of the desired results of Mr President to provide support to all our farmers in the country.

“Our measure concern is the issue of armed banditry affecting parts of the State because there is no way farmers can go to the farm without security. It is unbecoming and affecting all the States, and farmers abandon their farms, they go to farm with their children and at the end of the day one or two of them will be kidnapped, and ransomed paid before they are released.

“But Sokoto State, however, we have since introduced measures to checkmate the activities of bandits through our collaboration with our conventional security outfits. Already our own security guard I am sure this will receive the blessing of our farmers, let me assure that they will be secured.”

In order to have a mechanism to identify genuine farmers in Sokoto State, he added, it is crucial to establish a committee under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security that would work with the Ministry of Innovation and Digital Economy. If this isn't done, he said, the federal government's intervention won't reach the genuine farmers in all of the States.