By Muhammad Lawal
In an effort to boost national food security, the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has distributed free farming equipment and inputs to 31 Smallholder Farmers’ Cooperatives in Kebbi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the farmer cooperatives were drawn from across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
NAN also reports that each of the cooperatives received a package of; 20 cartons of liquid organic fertilisers, one unit of rice de-stoner, food dehydrator, maize thresher and equipment, two units of knapsack sprayers, one unit of multi-purpose thresher, and one unit of smoke clean machine.
Inaugurating the distribution in Argungu, Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, said the gesture was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister, who was represented by the Director, Federal Department of Cooperatives, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Muhammad Bashir-Abdulkadir, said the gesture was free to support smallholder farmers boost their revenue base and enhance national food security.
He said: “The important goal of any nation is to attend food security. This is an international priority reflected in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
“To address the underlying challenges impacting the attainment of our national food security goals, the present administration is implementing numerous economic reforms to stimulate productive capacity, create jobs and reduce cost of living.
“Emergency responses and targeted humanitarian actions have also been taken to ameliorate food crises in the country.”The minister recalled that in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president, the Federal Government had declared a state of emergency on food security in July 2023.
He assured that the present administration had demonstrated total political will to transform agriculture by making the sector a top priority.
Kyari said the ministry had rolled out many programmes and projects to address some of the challenges of farmers and make food available, accessible and affordable to all Nigerians.
“Accordingly and going forward, we commit to ensuring that all our sectoral programmes and initiatives of government in the sector are completely aligned to actualising the presidential priority.
“As such, the federal and state governments continually engage towards addressing all issues affecting national food security objectives.
“We also remain committed to promoting and creating synergies with Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector to enhance efforts at ensuring food security, economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction,” he noted.
According to the minister, it is the resolve of the present administration to attain the objectives of Sustainable Development Goals, especially that of zero hunger while also mitigating the food crisis in the country.Earlier, the State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Hadi Abdurrazak-Muhammad, said the essence of the event was to extend a helping hand to smallholder farmer cooperatives towards national food security.
He recalled that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the state government, distributed farming inputs to smallholder farmers to boost their morale.
He urged the beneficiaries to use the items judiciously to boost agricultural production and improve their financial status.
The Chairman, Argungu Local Government, Sani Aliy-Gulma, represented by Buhari Usman, Councilor, Agric of the council, appreciated both federal and state governments for the programme.
On his part, the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Muhammad Sama’ila-Mera prayed that the donation would be a stepping board towards improved agricultural production.
In an interview with NAN, a cross section of beneficiaries, Alhaji Bello Kalgo, Secretary AFAN, Kebbi and Hajiya Fatima Abubakar, Secretary, KADAGE Women Farmers’ Association, described the equipment and inputs as catalyst for boosting national food security.
They pledged to make effective and efficient use of the items to positively impact on the lives of their members and contribute to national food security. (NAN