News in brief: Farmers association of Nigeria welcome new agriculture minister, Abubakar Kyari, and call for synergy among relevant agencies to improve food security.
Nigerian farmers under the auspices of All Farmersâ Association of Nigeria (AFAN), have lauded the appointment of Senator Abubakar Kyari as the new minister of agriculture in the country. The association also made some recommendations going forward on how to improve food security in the country.
They first commended the government’s decision to change the name of the ministry from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
In a statement signed by the association’s president, Architect Ibrahim Kabir, the association said the new name was a testament to the administration’s desire to make Nigeria food secure in the shortest possible time. He maintained that Nigeria, should be self-sufficient in most food value chains.
Kabir further stated that Nigeria will be a leader in the agricultural sector of the economy if people-oriented projects are conceived and executed appropriately with ‘real’ sector players.
However, he noted the ‘myriad of challenges’ facing food production in the country especially in the light of insecurity. Other issues he named include flooding, inadequate finance and inputs, low level of mechanisation and reliance on rain-fed production.
He said that solutions to these problems lay in relevant ministries synergising to surmount them to achieve the Tinubu administrationâs policies.
Furthermore, he called for incentives that would motivate Nigerians to upscale food production which would boost food security.
The AFAN president subsequently called on relevant agencies including the Ministries of Water Resources, Defence, Environment and Ecological Management, Aviation, as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to work ‘lockstep’ with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to fast-track the attainment of food security in Nigeria.
Calls were also made to the government to let go of underperforming ministers in the cabinet, while recognising achievers.
Nigeriaâs president Bola Tinubu recently allocated portfolios to ministers designate, including that of Agricultureâs ministry. The new ministers are expected to be officially sworn in to begin duties on August 21 2023.
