TAKEAWAYS FROM THE MAIDEN MINISTERIAL PRESS BRIEFING, HOSTED BY THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION, MOHAMMED IDRIS
Special Guest: Senator Abubakar Kyari, Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security
Date: February 14, 2024
Food Security is and will continue to be the Number 1 item on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda. To this end:
1. President Tinubu has ordered the release of 42,000 Metric Tonnes of grains from Nigeria’s Strategic Reserves, for free distribution to the most vulnerable citizens. The Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have been engaged to oversee the distribution process.
2. President Tinubu has approved N100 Billion Naira for the funding of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) in 2024
3. The Federal Government flagged-off, in November 2023, Dry Season Wheat Farming in Nigeria, with at least 120,000 hectares to be covered in the first instance, and 240,000 farmers targeted. A similar Dry Season farming initiative for Rice, Cassava and Maize will kick off in the next few weeks, with a total of 200,000 hectares to be covered in the first instance, and 400,000 farmers targeted.
4. The bulk of the cost of input (seeds, fertilizers, etc) for these farming programs is being covered by the Federal Government, through a combination of the AfDB-financed $134m National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS) Agro-Pocket Programme, and a Special Intervention Fund approved by President Tinubu.
5. In the medium to long-term, the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) will embark on a data clean-up and verification scheme that will produce a credible, harmonized database of genuine farmers in Nigeria.
6. The Federal Government has signed an MOU with John Deere, to supply 2,000 tractors per year, for five years, under a special financing arrangement. The Bank of Agriculture will support Nigerian farmers with low-interest loans for the purchase of these fertilizers.
7. The Federal Government is taking steps to operationalize the Green Imperative Program, a $1 Billion bilateral partnership with the Brazilian Government, to be financed by Deutsche Bank, that will deliver privately-managed Service Centers in Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas. Each of these Centers will provide farmers access to machines / equipment (tractors, processing and storage equipment, etc), farm inputs (seeds, fertilizer, pesticides), and training / technical assistance.
8. The Federal Government has established the 50 Billion Naira Pulako Initiative, targeting seven frontline States in the battle against banditry and cattle-rustling: Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna, Benue and Kebbi States. The Initiative will support conflict-resolution, finance the reconstruction of affected communities, while also supporting farmers and herders in these communities. Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the Steering Committee for the Initiative on February 13, 2024.
9. The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) are being recapitalized and re-engineered for more efficient performance.
10. The Federal Government is urging State Governments, as the primary custodians of land across the country, to do more to support and finance land-clearing and preparation for farmers.
