Olushola Omogbehin
In line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for food security, the Federal Government has revealed it new agricultural reforms that will put an end to hunger among Nigerians, increase food production and reducing post-harvest losses estimated at over $10bn annually.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, and the Minister of State, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this on Thursday.
According to Kyari, “Agriculture remains the single largest employer of labour in Nigeria and contributes more than one-quarter of our Gross Domestic Product. Yet beyond these figures lies a deeper truth: agriculture is the measure of our nation’s resilience and the foundation of our collective renewal.”
Speaking further, the ongoing reform of the government is aimed at “ending hunger, ensuring food sufficiency and drastically reduce post-harvest losses draining the nation’s agricultural value chain. Together, these tiers will form a connected post-harvest system aimed at cutting losses valued at over $10bn annually, while improving food quality, farmer incomes, and price stability nationwide.”
Reaffirming President Tinubu’s directive to modernise Nigeria’s agricultural production and work towards the transitioning of our farmers from hoes and cutlass to tractors and harvesters, he said: “As we deepen mechanisation, expand irrigation and strengthen our storage systems, we are laying the foundation to end hunger and make food abundance a reality for every Nigerian household.”
The minister described NiPHaST programme which is a post-harvest management, as a legacy project designed to cut down food losses and improve quality and stabilise prices.
“NiPHaST is designed to strengthen post-harvest handling and storage systems from the community level upwards, creating an integrated network that connects farmers, cooperatives, and strategic reserves across the country,” he said.
In his speech, Abdullahi, also speaking, said the government’s drive toward food self-sufficiency would be anchored on climate-smart and inclusive agricultural reforms.
“Today, we are all gathered here to propose actions that will strengthen our national solidarity in the fight to end hunger, malnutrition, and poverty, and to highlight the need for food security and nutritious diets, which is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
