Aiming to tackle the issues of food security and inflation, the Federal Government has established an Agriculture and Water Resources Joint Action Committee.
In Abuja on Thursday, at the National Youth Convention, Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, made this announcement.
The convention was organized by the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative.
Abdullahi emphasized that this initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s food security agenda.
To address the challenge of feeding over 200 million people in the country, Abdullahi mentioned that the ministry has begun implementing dry-seed farming as relying solely on a six-month planting season for agriculture is not sufficient.
The partnership is specifically focused on promoting year-round farming practices.
Highlighting the abundance of water resources in the country and various river-basin development authorities, Abdullahi emphasized the need to utilize these for sustained farming to ensure food security and self-reliance.
He further mentioned, “We have established the Agriculture and Water Resource Joint Action Committee to address food security concerns and expand dry-season farming in multiple river basins.
“Our strategy involves fostering collaboration between both ministries and the River Basin Development Authorities, involving agricultural experts to improve farmers’ welfare, enhance production, and encourage youth and private sector involvement.
“The Ministry of Water Resources brings crucial assets like water resources, land, and technical knowledge to the partnership; collectively, we seek to combine efforts to supply seeds, inputs, and farm machinery necessary for agricultural production.
“Currently, we are engaging with farmers in these regions and working to eliminate barriers that hinder them from fully utilizing the opportunities in these areas. This will enable us to optimize the benefits of these natural resources.’’
Addressing recent floods in some states, the minister attributed them to the challenges of climate change.
To combat this, the ministry is focusing on promoting dry-season farming, as it allows better control over water management, crop selection, and planting techniques.