The Federal government in an effort to ensure food security in 2023, Wednesday gathered stakeholders from 36 States including the FCT from the agricultural sector in Jos, the Plateau State Capital to brainstorm, strengthen agricultural value chains to ensure food security and economic development.
The brainstorming session is part of activities for the 45th Session of the National Council on Agriculture & Rural Development holding from Monday to Friday at Landfield Leisure Park, Rayfield Jos.
The theme of the five days event is Strengthening the agricultural value chain development process for food security and economic development and the Ministry urged the participants drawn from States across the nation to deliberate with a broad mind, add value to all the issues raised for the overall impact of the agricultural sector in the economy, and proffer concrete and practical suggestions that will assist Council in reaching meaningful decisions.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agricultural Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe who declared the technical session open, said that the focus of the session is on fine-tuning, developing and improving the commodity value chain development process.
Umakhihe who was represented by Director Agricultural Land and Climate Change Management Services, Mr Shehu Bello, said the value chain approach to developing agriculture was intensified during the Agricultural Transformation (ATA) 2011-2015.
“The present administration had sustained and enhanced it via the successive frameworks of the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) 2016 – 20220 and the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) 2022-2027.
“The ministry through the launch of NATIP has demonstrated commitment of the sector to address all conceivable challenges besetting the sector with a focus on strengthening and developing agricultural value chain.
“The foundation to achieving the desired success is the commitment to the provision of incentives to increase the output and quality of agricultural commodities to meet and surpass national requirements.
“It is ultimately to achieve a diversified economic base with agriculture leading the way for the non-oil sectors of the economy,” he said.
He said that it contributed enormously to food security, increases productivity and efficiency, engenders diversification, generates higher incomes and reduces post-harvest losses and above all generated employment opportunities.
According to him, also improves the livelihood of smallholder farmers who constitutes the majority in the Nigeria agricultural sector.
“Consequently, agricultural commodity value chain development as a cornerstone and strategic implementation imperatives for the prevailing sectoral policy framework requires a robust discussion and deliberate decisions on our intervention models and the next steps for the major subsectors.
“The sectors include; crop/horticulture production, livestock/veterinary services and fisheries and aquaculture with other cut crossing issues in the Agribusiness undertakings as we commence the implementation of the policy.
“Please note that this technical session is the forerunner to the council meeting and it is dedicated to the exchange of ideas on the agricultural development process in the country.
“It is for setting the tone and issues for deliberation and discussions at the Council, I urge you all to approach the deliberations with a broad mind, add value to all the issues and proffer concrete and practical suggestions that will assist Council in reaching meaningful decisions,” he added.
Plateau Commissioner for Agricultural and Natural Resources, Dr Hosea Finangwai urged the Council to proffer a permanent solution to potato blight, a disease ravaging Irish potatoes in the state.
Finangwai stated that the disease caused monumental financial losses to farmers in the state this year, estimated at 500 million Naira.
“On behalf of Plateau state, I wish to plead that a memo on the request for the upgrade of the potato station at Kuru is given priority on merit. This request is important because the state accounts for 90 per cent of the production of Iris Potatoes in the country,” he appealed.
