The Federal Government has unveiled an initiative to cultivate 750,000 hectares of land for maize, wheat, rice, and cassava farming, aiming to address the rising food inflation in the country. This effort is part of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro-pocket project.
This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu, during the 2024 Sahel Food Systems Change Makers Conference held on Tuesday in Abuja, according to Nairametrics.
The initiative is expected to boost local food production and enhance food security across the nation.
The event’s theme is “Innovative Governance Models: A Pathway for Food and Nutrition Security in Nigeria.”
The initiative aims to boost productivity, enhance cropping intensity, and expand production areas.
According to Abdullahi, these efforts will increase the availability of locally produced foods, thereby improving household and national food security.
Additionally, the initiative seeks to build resilience against external shocks and support livelihoods, contributing to overall economic stability.
Abdullahi emphasized the government’s focus on year-round farming, utilizing both the rainy and dry seasons to maximize food production.
“This is because one of the challenges is a high cost of food, so when there is abundant food definitely it will bring down the prices of food,” he said.
In addition, he noted that the government is transitioning from single-season farming to year-round farming by implementing irrigation practices during the dry season.
“We are trying to look inward at our massive potential. Nigerians do not want to look at the potential, they want to eat food, but the potential is there in terms of areas where we can do irrigation,” he noted.
The minister also highlighted the presence of large water resources, such as the Niger and Benue rivers, and stressed the need to leverage river basins for agricultural production.
“We have the national agricultural growth scheme agro-pocket project where we are targeting 750,000 hectares of land for maize, wheat, rice, and cassava where possible.
“Overall, we are changing the narrative, and when we finish the dry season farming, the rainy season should keep coming,” he said
Abdullahi indicated that three-season farming could be feasible in some cases, depending on access to improved seed varieties.
“So our research institutes are focusing on climate-smart technologies by ensuring that we have varieties of our crops that will be short duration, drought-tolerant, and disease-resistant,” he added.
He further noted that the event’s theme aligns with the need for transformation in agricultural ecosystems, stressing the importance of adopting modern methods.
“When you bring the structure of change in any system, it is significant, adding that we cannot continue our agriculture methods in the old ways,” the minister said.
Nigeria is facing a food security crisis, with food inflation reaching 40.5% as households struggle to meet basic needs.
Prices for staple foods, especially grains, have increased by over 100% in the past year, placing additional strain on household budgets and worsening the challenges within an already fragile economy.
