In order to address concerns about food security, stabilize prices, and provide financial liquidity for farmers in the agricultural sector, the Federal Government of Nigeria is vigorously pursuing a plan to stockpile its Strategic Food Reserve.
Farmers will be able to engage in year-round farming, particularly during the dry season, according to the administration.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported on Thursday that Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, and Senator Abdullahi Aliyu, Minister of State for Agriculture, provided the assurance during a working visit of many facilities in Kaduna with other stakeholders.
On the fringes of the 47th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Food Security, the tour took place.
In response to farmers’ concerns that food prices would plummet nationwide despite an increase in input costs, he reassured them that the government was prepared to take on the issue.
Farmers visit the same marketplaces and profit from lower prices even though they are concerned about a food price collapse.
The cost of inputs is another issue that farmers face.
“That is being worked on by President Bola Tinubu.” We will address the cost of inputs and strike a balance between the welfare of farmers and citizens.
“Very soon, we are also going to stock up strategic reserves, which will give the agricultural sector a lot of financial liquidity so farmers can engage in year-round farming, especially during the dry season,” he stated.
The minister expressed pleasure with the strong level of public interest in food production and raw material processing, among other things, after evaluating the functioning of several of the firms he visited.
He claims that in regards to food security and food sovereignty, farmers and processors have responded to President Tinubu’s clear demand.
“It is obvious that what you see on the field is almost in line with the renewal hope agenda of Mr. President,” he stated.
Olam Agri, TMDK Agro Park, DEBRANCH Farmers, Quality Afriexim Bank Quality Assurance Office, and Tomato Jos are among the factories that were visited, according to NAN.
He claims that the goal of the quality assurance office is to approve Nigerian goods for both home and international markets.
According to Mehta, the company’s primary goal is “local production for local consumption,” which aims to establish a middle class in rural Nigeria by giving farmers a steady market and turning their products into superior paste.
She emphasized that the company’s cutting-edge processing facility in Kaduna State is Nigeria’s third-largest tomato processing facility.
We collaborate with more than 350 partner farmers, offering them assistance, cutting-edge agricultural methods, and a guaranteed market for their produce.
Tomato Jos seeks to both directly and indirectly generate employment while lowering Nigeria’s dependency on imported tomato products.
“Among other things, it has generated hundreds of jobs in the building of its factory,” she stated.
Mehta disapproved of the importation of tomato paste from China, claiming it was harmful to the nation’s economy.
She added that 60% of farmers are women and that the organization has committed more than $20 million in empowering the public.
Tomato Jos has also made infrastructure investments, Mehta added.
She claims that the organization has currently cleared more than 300 hectares of irrigated land in order to cultivate tomatoes throughout the dry season.
The market, tomato paste imports, regulations, inputs like fertilizer and other chemicals, and Tuta Absoluta, a significant tomato pest, are just a few of the difficulties facing the sector, according to the CEO.
But in order to guarantee that the illness would no longer flourish in the nation, she urged the Federal Government to establish a unified, swift reaction.
The CEO also bemoaned the organization’s difficulties in selling its finished product.
Nonetheless, she asked the government and food packaging firms to collaborate with her in order to represent their grains and mop up their products.
