The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, yesterday said to transform agriculture, end hunger and food wastage in the country, the federal government and the private sector must be prepared to invest massively in the sector.

Speaking at the signing ceremony of the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2023-2027, he said the framework came at a time when Nigerian farmers desire it most with expectations that the programme would deliver to enable vulnerable households access to better food, maintain healthy diets, and improve the rural economy.

The minister called for a strong action plan to address the impact of climate change, global pandemic, institutional inadequacies, post-harvest losses and weak supply chain on food systems in partnership with development partners.

Abubakar, noted that the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (2023-2027) and the FAO country programming framework would in line with the National Development Plan (2022-2025), aggressively drive Nigeria’s economic diversification programmes and transform food systems to ensure sufficient food in the country as well as export for foreign earnings.

The minister said since 1978 when the FAO opened its office in Nigeria; it had been focused on achieving food security for all and making sure that people have regular access to high-quality food and healthy lives.

He said the CPF was part of the strategy adopted by the UN member nations to raise global awareness on the state of food security and agricultural development in the world.

He said the country has the richest natural resources for agricultural production in the world, adding that the sector had been contributing consistently to the growth of the economy.

He said, “This exceptional development engineered the Government of Nigeria to continually develop an array of policies, strategies and programmes to boost food production and productivity in the country.

“Obviously, development partners are aware of the federal government’s commitment and initiatives in providing an enabling environment for sustainable investment in agriculture as the mainstay of the national economy.”

Nonetheless, the minister said the framework emphases four pillars of priorities for agricultural development including strengthening national food and nutrition security through enhanced nutrition sensitive and climate-smart food systems; support for appropriate and operationally effective agricultural policy and regulatory framework.

Other areas of focus include support to Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda and promotion of decent employment for youth and women in the agriculture value chains; improve efficient and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystem; and enhance disaster risk reduction, resilience building and emergency management towards strengthening the humanitarian development nexus.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, explained that the document describes the FAO’s medium term assistance priorities and results.

It is derived from nationally defined objectives to guide FAO’s partnership and assistance to Nigeria over the five-year period of the country’s programming cycle.

He said the current CPF provides the basis for collaboration and partnership between the federal government and FAO in four strategic priority areas to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He said the rationale for these four areas stems from the national commitment to attaining sustainable food and nutrition security as well as repositioning agriculture as a vehicle for economic growth.

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Source: This Day Newspaper 

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2023/05/04/abubakar-massive-investment-required-to-mitigate-hunger-wastage-in-agriculture/