NAN-AE-9
Materials
By Kudirat Ogunyemi
Abuja, Nov. 14, 2016 (NAN) The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAP), said it assisted no fewer than 2.5 million farmers to access genetic materials of improved crops, seeds and fingerlings across the country.
National Project Coordinator, WAAP-Nigeria, Mr James Apochi, disclosed this at ongoing wrap-up meeting on its implementation support mission in Abuja on Monday.
Apochi said that WAAP had recorded tremendous achievements in support of Federal Government’s agricultural agenda in different areas.
“ WAAP has facilitated over 2.5 million farmers’ access to genetic material in improved crops, seeds and fingerlings and pilot new models of advisory services with adoption of improved technologies in 500 schools.
“ It implemented climate smart agriculture through the multiplication and distribution of drought-tolerant and early-maturing seed varieties and supported the Restructuring of Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria.
“ The project supported human and infrastructural capacity development of National Agricultural Research System and National Agricultural Seed Council and imported technologies from the sub-region to help curtail wastages and post-harvest losses,’’ he said.
Apochi commended the efforts of the ECOWAS member-states and West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD) to increase agricultural productivity, food security and reducing poverty in their regions.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said that the WAAP’s objective of increasing agricultural production through the generation and dissemination of improved technologies was commendable.
Represented by Mr Shehu Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ogbeh praised the ECOWAS Commission for its initiative in coming up with the project to address problems in the agricultural sector.
“The Federal Government is giving agricultural sector the priority it deserves in the ongoing national development efforts.
“ The priority of government over the years is the achievement of self-sufficiency and excess in our local staples like cassava, rice, maize, sorghum, wheat, fruits and vegetables, poultry, beans, soya, oil-palm, fish and milk.
“Through the cooperative efforts of all key stakeholders in the agricultural sector, we are expecting development partners to key into this vision and help us to actualise it,’’ he said.
According to him, the vision of the ministry is to grow Nigeria’s agricultural sector to achieve a hunger-free Nigeria through an endeavour that drives income growth, food and nutritional security.
He said this would assist, “ to also transform Nigeria into a leading player in global food markets to grow wealth for millions of our farmers.
“ The roadmap recognises the key roles of both the smallholder farmers and the large-scale farmers in maximising agricultural output, to achieve increased efficiency of agricultural operations and practices through private sector engagement.
“ The private sector is saddled with the responsibility of creating linkages with small holder farmers by availing them of better organisation methods, technological access, financial services, linkages to input supply chains and markets.’’
The minister added that the implementation of the Green Alternative would reduce the estimated 32 billion dollars spent by Nigeria on food importation annually.
He said that this would enable agriculture to start earning the needed foreign exchange for the nation’s goods and services.
“ Linkages and multiplier effects enable growth originating in the agricultural sector to spill over into other sectors e.g. processing, input supply industries, etc.
“ Effective demand for outputs of agricultural and non-agricultural sectors as rising incomes of rural farming households generate demand for a wide range of goods and services,’’ he said.
Ogbeh said that agriculture contributed to wider economic growth through three key channels of Technical Innovative change which rapidly transforms traditional agriculture through adoption of science-based technology and increasing productivity gains. (NAN)
ROK/MOL/OPI
Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Olisa Ifeajika
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