Fed Govt to Prioritise Agro-Processing Development

The Federal Government said it would prioritise increasing agricultural processing capacity in the country through the establishment of several cottage industries for the production of staple food products in a competitive and comparative advantage manner.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe spoke yesterday at the 45th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD) in Jos, the Plateau State capital with the theme: “Strengthening Agricultural Value Chains Development Process for Food Security and Economic Development”.

Represented by the Director, Department of Agriculture Land and Climate Change Management Services, Shehu Bello, he said the government would ensure a steady off-take of produce from out-growers, enhancing the income of farmers and entrepreneurs across  commodity value chains.

He said the Ministry will collaborate with state governments and other stakeholders towards improving the agricultural commodity value chain development to enhance the livelihood of the smallholder farmers.

The Permanent Secretary, in a statement endorsed by the Chief Information Officer, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, said the agricultural commodity value chain development as a cornerstone and strategic implementation imperatives for the prevailing sectorial policy framework requires a robust discussion and deliberate decisions on intervention models.

He said the foundation to achieve the desired success is the commitment to the provision of incentives, increase the output and quality of agricultural commodities to meet and surpass national requirements as well as achieve a diversified economic base with Agriculture leading the way for the non-oil sectors of the economy.

He noted that the ministry through the launch of National Agricultural Technology Innovation Plan 2022 – 2027 (NATIP) has demonstrated commitment of the sector to address conceivable challenges besetting the sector with a focus on strengthening and developing the agricultural value chain.

The impact, he said, has been enormous as it contributes to food security, increases productivity and efficiency, engenders diversification, generates higher incomes and reduces post-harvest losses and above all, generates employment opportunities.

He urged the stakeholders to approach the deliberations with broad mind, add value to all the issues for the overall impact of the sector in the economy, and proffer concrete and practical suggestions that would assist the Council in reaching meaningful decisions.

The Plateau State Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Hosea Finangwai, sought the memorandum for the upgrade of the potato station at Karu be given priority on its merit.

He added that the state accounting for over 90 per cent of the production, livelihood and income of farmers was threatened by the monstrous potato blight.