The Federal Government says it is committed to ensuring food security in the country.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said this when Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State paid him a courtesy call on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said Katsina State remained one of the frontier states in the quest to achieve President Bola Tinubu’s food security agenda through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“There is no gainsaying that we are out to achieve Mr President’s agenda of food security, poverty reduction and job creation,” he said.
According to him, the ministry was also committed to achieving the Federal Government’s plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of arable lands to ensure food security.
“Like I mentioned before, we have to collaborate with the states and local governments to come up with a genuine and verifiable farmers list.
“This is very important because we have to know who the real farmers are, and by doing so, we have to collaborate with the local authorities.
“This is so they can buy into our programmes, and so we can succeed in what we set out to do,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Gov. Radda revealed that insecurity affecting food production and security of lives and property had been reduced by 70 per cent in Katsina.
The governor said without adequately addressing insecurity, there couldn’t be food production due to the activities of criminal elements in the state, adding that they had previously made it very difficult for farmers to access their farms.
The governor said plans were underway to revive the livestock industry in the state.
“We want to revive the livestock industry, and we want to create a livestock centre in Katsina, which will encompass everything from fattening and pasture development to artificial insemination centres,” he said.
Nigerian govt reiterates commitment to food security
