FG unveils joint committee on food security

• Published On: 16 August 2024 at 20:31

The federal government announced the formation of an Agriculture and Water Resources Joint Action Committee to address food security and inflation issues.

Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture, disclosed this at the National Youth Convention in Abuja on Thursday.

The convention was organized by the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative.

According to Abdullahi, the initiative aims to advance President Bola Tinubu's food security agenda.



He stated that the ministry had begun dry-seeding farming because the country's more than 200 million people could not be fed if it relied solely on a six-month agricultural training season.

According to him, the partnership is intended to encourage year-round farming.

He stated that the country is endowed with abundant water resources and numerous river-basin development authorities that should be utilized for year-round farming in order to ensure food security and self-reliance.

He stated, "We have approved the Agriculture and Water Resource Joint Action Committee, which will look into food security to enable us to engage in dry-season farming in the majority of river basins."

"Our strategy is to see how both ministries can work with the River Basin Development Authorities to improve farmer livelihoods, increase production, and encourage youth and private sector participation.

"The Ministry of Water Resources contributes valuable assets to the partnership, including water resources, land, and technical expertise; together, we hope to synergize our efforts in providing seeds, inputs, and farm machinery required for food production.

"We are currently working with all of the farmers in those areas to ensure that we remove the barriers that are preventing farmers from taking advantage of the opportunities available in those areas. This will allow us to maximize the use of these God-given resources.

The minister confirmed recent flooding in some states of the federation and identified the threat as one of the consequences of climate change.

According to him, the ministry's response is to ensure that dry-season farming becomes the norm because it allows for greater control over water, what is planted, and how it is grown.