FG Invests Over ₦200 Billion to Boost Agriculture, Ensure Food Security — Minister

 

FG Invests Over ₦200 Billion to Boost Agriculture, Ensure Food Security — Minister


The Federal Government has invested more than ₦200 billion in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to boost food production and achieve national food security.


The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, made this known in a statement released on Sunday. He said the ministry had also distributed fertilizers worth over ₦2.15 million free of charge to farmers across the country to support cultivation and increase yields.


> “The Ministry has invested over ₦200 billion in agricultural interventions and has given out over ₦2.15 million worth of fertilizers free to farmers nationwide,” Kyari said.




He also thanked the Government of The Gambia for seeking a partnership with Nigeria to improve food production and drive economic growth in both countries.


Progress Towards Food Security


The minister acknowledged that the journey toward food sufficiency in Nigeria has not been easy but pointed to progress made with help from international development partners like the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank.


> “It has been a tough journey for the present government, but we are making real progress with support from partners like FAO and the World Bank,” Kyari stated.




He explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, upon taking office in 2023, gave a clear directive to achieve food security and food sovereignty. This led to the renaming of the ministry to reflect its renewed focus — from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.


Mechanisation and Youth Involvement


Kyari highlighted the need to modernize farming practices to attract young Nigerians to the agricultural sector.


> “We have a large youth population, but traditional farming methods are too laborious and discourage them. Mechanised farming is key,” he said.




Success in Rice and Wheat Production


Kyari said Nigeria has recorded notable progress in crops like rice and wheat, with recent research showing improved yields. He explained that by the end of 2023, Nigeria had stopped importing wheat seeds due to successful local development.


> “Farmers were supported with imported wheat seeds in 2023. But by the end of the year, no seed was imported — we used locally developed seeds and cultivated almost 500 metric tons of wheat,” he said.




Despite ongoing challenges, especially with rice availability and affordability, Kyari emphasized that the government’s outgrower scheme is helping to empower small-scale farmers and improve productivity across the country.


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