By Hillary Asemota
The Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari and Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi, on Wednesday expressed excited and optimism over the expression of interest and collaboration by the Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Sule Abdullahi and his counterparts across the 36 State Governors to significantly boost food production.
While playing host to Governor Sule, at the Headquarters of the Ministry in Abuja, Kyari, reiterated that only two days ago, he received in audience the Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, along with the Governors of Taraba, Ondo, and Kogi states.
He said: “As you may be aware, we had in recent weeks played host to a number of other state governors. These visits, like yours today, are a demonstration of the collaboration that we seek to achieve between the Federal Government and the state governments, with a view to significantly boosting food production in our country.
“We are, indeed, excited about the enthusiastic responses of the state governments to our letter calling for Expression of Interest in the Second Phase of the 2023/2024 Dry Season Farming.
It is our firm belief that the synergy between the tiers of government will more readily assure positive outcomes in our quest for improved agricultural production.”
Agriculture, according to him, is time-sensitive, adding that in November of 2023, under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) project, the Ministry launched the first phase of the Dry Season Farming with particular focus on 15 wheat-producing states of the federation.
However, he said field reports indicate varying degrees of success of the wheat fields across the participating states, eexplaining that these success stories are emerging in spite of some shortcomings in the full implementation of the first phase.
Kyari, said: “The second phase of the Dry Season Farming is soon to take off, and this time all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are expected to participate in the production of maize, rice, and cassava on properly identified irrigable farmlands cultivated by genuine farmers, who will benefit from the Federal Government’s subsidized certified quality seeds and agro-inputs, such as fertilizers, micro-nutrients, herbicides, and pesticides.
“Following a painstaking stakeholders’ evaluation of the first phase of the Dry Season Farming, and with the goal of achieving a higher index of success in the second phase, we have consequently modified the Implementation Guidelines for the phase soon to commence.”
He said, the establishment of a NAGS-AP State Working Committee will be chaired by the Executive Governor or his representative, and the Committee shall consist of the following members, Commissioner of Agriculture – Vice Chairman, Commissioner for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs or his representative, the State Coordinator of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security – Member/Secretary, NAGS-AP State Focal Point person, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Representative of Traditional Rulers Representatives of, the Bank of Agriculture, and Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) and several others.
The Minister, said: “I am optimistic that Nasarawa State will have little difficulty in fitting into the readiness criteria for participation in the Dry Season Farming.
“The state is notable for grains, legumes, and root crop cultivation, and some of the country’s bigger rice millers are located in the state. The dam in the Doma area is also, I believe, a ready source of water supply during the dry season.”
He sought assurance from the Governor that Nasarawa State should prepare to lend additional support to farmers during this period.
This is because, as he explained that when the Federal Government offered the 50% subsidies on agro-inputs during the take-off of the wheat production, there were reported cases across a number of states of farmers who were too indigent to pay their counterpart 50% in order to access the agro-inputs.
He added that few states provided additional subsidies, while others assisted the farmers with land clearing, and quality extension services. Yet others have invested in power tillers and solar-powered water pumps.
It is interesting that, last year, NASENI laid the foundation for a solar cell production plant in Gora, Nasarawa State, adding that it is the expectation of the Ministry that in due course the plant, when operational, will be the feeder for solar-powered pump needs in the immediate environment and beyond, he explained.
“Considering your background in engineering, we would equally be delighted if you emerged as a formidable champion of mechanisation in our agricultural production.
“As we are about to get into the planting period, there is little question that in the absence of mechanisation by way of combine harvesters, we can scarcely mitigate the aggregate post-harvest losses arising from the current manual methods of harvesting.
While expressing his willingness to collaborate in the food security drive, in his remark, Governor Sule, thanked Presient Bola Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Agriculture and attaching food security to it, adding that that means a lot for Nigeria’s food dynamics and equation.
He also added that the appointments of both Ministers who are competent and loyal to him will bring the much needed change in the sector, stressing that the present administration will no doubt succeed in its food security agenda.
He said Nasarawa has its strength in agriculture and therefore will fully buy in and participate in the Ministry’s efforts to ramp up food production. He said the state is home to Olam with over 10,000 hectares under cultivation, adding that they get more 50% of their padi from the local farmers with their ouutgrowers scheme.
He said Dangote Group has over 68,000 hectares for sugar plantation, explaining that that is the biggest sugar plantation in Africa with Kanana plantation in Sudan next to it and on completion Nasarawa will be producing 1/3 of Nigeria’s sugar consumption.
He added that the state is hosting other investors in agriculture and therefore can be rated as Nigeria number one in agriculture drive.