The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, has outlined mechanization, extension delivery, commodity production, storage facilities, agro-processing, grazing reserves, livestock transformation, and fisheries as the Ministry’s signed deliverables with the Presidency.
Nanono who was speaking at a one-day Retreat for Chief Executives and Chairmen of Boards of Agencies and Parastatals of the Ministry in Abuja said that the Ministry is taking a pragmatic approach to repositioning the agricultural research system, securing 20,000-100,000 hectares of land per State for agricultural use while promoting agro and agro-allied cluster activities nationwide.
The stakeholders gathered to deliberate and brainstorm on the provisions of Administrative Guidelines, Procedures on the relationship between Ministries and Parastatals, to enable orderliness, responsibility, transparency, and consensus in the conceptualization and implementation of policies, programmes and projects.
Speaking on the objectives and mandate of the ministry, the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Sabo Nanono pledged that the Ministry will continue to strengthen its partnership with its agencies and agricultural research institutes in order to collectively deliver on its mandate.
He maintained that expectations are high to deploy improved varieties of seeds and seedlings, expand cultivable land area and support agribusiness systems in the country.
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Other stakeholders present at the retreat believe that the priority area for food security entails engagement with state and non-state actors to facilitate programmes to farmers.
According to them, the collaboration would help to further strengthen sectoral linkages and promote import-substitution, enterprise development, value-added processing, and economic diversification.
Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe
