From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Federal Government has affirmed its resolve to develop and grow the nation’s agricultural sector in a bid to boost food production in the country.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari made this known at the flag off of the 2023/2024 Dry Season Farming held in Kadume village, in Hadejia Road Local Government Area, in Jigawa State at the weekend.
Kyari admitted that dry season farming was an integral part of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP) Project, supported by a $134m loan facility advanced to Nigeria by the African Development Bank(AfDB)
He explained that government was committed to expanding the crop yields of farmers by 20 percent on key staples like rice, maize, cassava and wheat.
“These high value staples will be joined by others like soybeans and sorghum in the wet season” he added.
He held that government had set an ambitious targets adding that, “In wheat alone, we aim to support between 150,000 to 250,000 farmers with 50% input subsidy to cultivate between 200,000 to 250,000 hectares and an expected yield of 1,250,000 tonnes of wheat”
He said that the Federal Government had selected other staples for various supports with the aim of significantly reducing food inflation, cutting down Nigeria’s dependence on foreign imports and increasing domestic consumption.
The Minister emphasized the place of technology in the present drive saying that technology would ensure transparency and accountability in the subsidy provided to the farmers as well as other support services like extension, insurance and additional finance.