Tinubu Administration Prioritizes Agriculture, Food Security As Central To National Policy Goals: Report

President Bola Tinubu's administration said agriculture and food security were central to their policy goals, as the government recognized that food was essential to life, which was why it was committed to making continuous and effective efforts in this area.

As per the progress report shared on the official X handle, food security is a key part of national security. The government has a primary responsibility to protect lives and property, and ensuring that people do not go hungry is an important aspect of this duty.

The administration noted that it was dedicated to fulfilling its promise to secure food for the nation. At important times like these, it was crucial to inform citizens about the government's efforts in this area.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has implemented various interventions, such as suspending duties, tariffs, and taxes on importing certain food items, including maize, brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas.

A dry season farming initiative was launched, cultivating 118,657 hectares of wheat in 15 states. This supported 107,429 farmers and produced 474,628 metric tonnes of wheat. The government released 42,000 metric tonnes of food from the Strategic Food Reserve and distributed 58,500 metric tonnes of milled rice to stabilize prices.

To reduce food inflation, the government distributed 60,000 metric tonnes of improved seeds, 887,255 metric tonnes of seedlings, and 501,726 liters of agrochemicals. Farmland security has also been strengthened with more resources for agro-rangers and security agencies.

In addition, the Central Bank of Nigeria provided 2.15 million bags of fertilizer for distribution.

Over 2,770 farmers in 109 crop production clusters across all senatorial districts have been empowered. Each cluster received essential agricultural supplies, including power tillers, knapsack sprayers, herbicides, organic fertilizers and more than 5,000 metric tonnes of maize seeds.

Each of the 25 farmers in the clusters received enough inputs for one hectare of farmland, and power tillers were shared among the group to promote cooperation. The government also distributed 14 million doses of vaccines for anthrax and foot-and-mouth diseases.

Animal health centers, veterinary hospitals, and micro earth dams have been established. Livestock farmers received training on biosecurity and antimicrobial resistance. A total of 14.9 million animal vaccinations were facilitated, along with the distribution of 760 tonnes of poultry and ruminant feed.

Initiatives to combat ginger blight have been launched, providing N1.6 billion to support affected farmers, along with distributing pesticides and fungicides. Nigeria is among the largest producers of ginger in the world.

Over 100 farmers in Kano received modern farm machinery to empower smallholder farmers and increase food production. Farmers can access farm inputs with 75% funding from the government, while they provide the remaining 25%.

Earlier this month, Vice President Kashim Shettima said Tinubu's administration was focused on improving food security in Nigeria, with special emphasis on addressing malnutrition.