BY FESTUS OKOROMADU
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has declared that the country’s food security is currently threatened by issues of availability and affordability.
He pointed out the need to work all year round to ensure increased food production to avoid malnutrition and the soaring rates of food item prices.
The Minister, who made the observations while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, attributed the challenge to insecurity, youth’s unemployment, and our increasing population.
He, however, gave assurance of his ministry’s readiness to overcome the situation pointing out that he has the full support of President Bola Tinubu, thus the issue of ‘political will’ as an impediment to policy actions is now a forgotten issue.
Kyari listed the four areas his administration’s policy will hinge on as integration, sustainability, and resilience to our challenges.
He said that his team will tackle the crisis in the sector from the short-term, medium-term, and long-term perspectives.
“It is a known mantra that organizations are charged to think outside the box. We at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have decided to think without the box if we are to achieve our mandates. This becomes more profound given the current state of our national food security for which President Bola Tinubu declared a national state of emergency on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
“Indeed, the current state of food security is threatened by issues of availability and affordability. Furthermore, malnutrition and the rates of food inflation requires that we work all year round to ensure increased food production while putting in place measures to make food available, accessible, affordable, and of the right nutrition on a sustainable basis.
“The underlying challenges noted above call for innovative and trending solutions which are better understood when we recount the challenges of insecurity, youth’s unemployment, and our increasing population and attendant competition for the same prime agricultural land for mass housing schemes and other competing developmental projects.
“Nigeria is expected to reach 400 million by 2050; which is just around the corner. That is not all. Indeed, climate change poses an even greater challenge as was noted by the President in his speech to the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) thus “Northern Nigeria is hounded by desert encroachment on once arable land. Our south is pounded by the rising tide of coastal flooding and erosion. In the middle, the rainy season brings floods that kill and displace multitudes.
“I wish to specifically note that, President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated total political will to transform the Agriculture and Food security of our dear country by not only changing the name to Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security but also making Food Security the number one presidential priority of his agenda. I, therefore, want to assure all our stakeholders that the issue of ‘political will’ as an impediment to policy actions is now a forgotten issue.
“Today, I am very pleased to present to you our focal areas that hinge on integration, sustainability, and resilience to our challenges. These span the immediate, short, medium, and long term,” he said.
Speaking of the immediate rescue plan to embark upon between now and year end, Kyari said, “The most pressing actions we are currently handling is preparation for the next dry-season farming beginning from November 2023.
“To this end, some preparatory activities have been carried out and many others are at the advanced stage viz: Certification of available planting materials for some food security crops in readiness for dry-season farming; Aggressive promotion and preparations for dry season farming which commences from November this year; Implementation of the dry season Wheat production starting in November 2023 as part of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP) projects funded by the African Development Bank.
“Under this scheme, the target is to produce wheat over a 70, 000 hectares across the wheat production zone of the country with an expected yield of 875,000 metric tonnes for our food reserve; blending of appropriate fertilizers to support this year’s dry season farming while making provisions for next year farming season well in advance; and providing Train-the-Trainer for extension agents involved in dry season farming in collaboration with wheat producing States and other partners such as flour mills, among others.”
