More than 400 thousand Nigerian farmers have been earmarked as beneficiaries under the 2024/2025 dry season farming and maiden wheat cultivation programme of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari flag off the 2024/2025 dry season farming and maiden wheat cultivation programme under the National Agricultural Growth Support Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP) Project in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, southern Nigeria.
Senator Kyari, who presented a keynote address during the 46th regular meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Food Security in Calabar, reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to the growth of the agriculture sector.
National priority
Kyari hinted, “the Nigerian Government secured a loan facility of $134mn (One hundred and thirty-four million US Dollars) from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to increase the production of some staple food crops such as wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, soybean and cassava during the dry and wet season farming.”
He further disclosed, “for the 2024/2025 dry season farming, the project is to support 250,000 wheat farmers with subsidized agricultural inputs to cultivate about 250,000 hectares for an expected output of 750,000 metric tons, which would be added to the food reserve Bank as part of measures to reduce dependence on importation and increase domestic consumption.
“In the second phase, the programme (NAGS-AP) will provide support to 150,000 rice farmers across the 36 States including the FCT with an expected output of about 450,000 metric tons. Wheat farmers are therefore encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to change their fortunes and contribute to the national food basket,” the minister urged.
Kyari recalled that during the 2023/2024 dry season farming, 107,429 wheat farmers, 43,997 rice farmers and 192,095 others cultivating maize, sorghum/millet, soyabean and cassava were supported across the country.
He announced the selection of Cross River State as one of Nigeria’s wheat cultivation areas due to the availability of land and favourable weather, noting “a total of 3,000 wheat registered farmers will be supported with the subsidized agricultural inputs.”
On the challenges with the implementation of the project, the minister informed stakeholders that measures were already in place to close identified gaps and urged strict compliance with stipulated guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures.
A shared commitment
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi acknowledged that the gesture was indicative of a “shared commitment to advancing agricultural production and productivity, to ensure food and nutrition security as well as sustainable growth within Nigeria’s agricultural sector.”
Senator Abdullahi noted that the wheat cultivation programme would be executed across 16 Nigerian States, while the rice cultivation project would be in all the 36 federating states including the FCT.
“Let us work together to build a robust agricultural sector that not only feeds our nation, but also drives economic growth, create jobs and supports the livelihoods of millions of families,” he urged.
Oyenike Oyeniyi
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