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Food security: Nasarawa secures $370, 000 grant to boost food production
By David Odama
In it’s determined effort to boost agri activities and increase food production, the Nasarawa State Government has secured $370, 000 grant from Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Nigeria, to ensure inclusive transformation in the agricultural sector.
Country Director, AGRA, Rufus Idris, disclosed this at the inaugural meeting of the Nasarawa State Capability for Inclusive Agriculture Transformation project on Friday in Lafia, the state capital.
He said that AGRA was founded in 2006 by Dr Kofi Anan, former Secretary General of United Nations. adding that the aim was to ensure that Africans took responsibility of transforming their agriculture and food system by themselves with the needed knowledge and expertise.
He said that AGRA had been working in Nigeria for 17 years in Kaduna and Niger states; supporting government, smallholder farmers and various private sector groups to boost agricultural production.m stating that more than one million smallholder farmers have benefitted from AGRA support in Nigeria.
Idris noted that AGRA’s partnership with Nasarawa state became imperative given the various initiatives of the Gov. Abdullahi Sule led administration and the state’s critical role in transforming Nigeria’s agriculture space.
He said the project funded by AGRA was aimed at developing an Agricultural Policy and creates an Agricultural Investment Plan for the state.
Idris said the project would also build the capacity of members of staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to effectively drive the transformation initiative in Nasarawa State.
He said the project domiciled in the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources would be implemented by Jesnoch International, a servicing firm.
Idris added that the implementation would be supported by the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA) and Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme (NADP).
He appealed to all stakeholders in the agriculture sector in the state to support and make input into the project to achieve the desired result.
In his remarks, Mr Umar Abdullahi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, appreciated AGRA for the partnership to transform the agricultural ecosystem in Nasarawa State.
Represented by Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, Managing Director, NASIDA, the permanent secretary said that agriculture was pivotal to Nasarawa’s economic development agenda, being an agrarian state.
“Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy is anchored on moving the state from subsistence to commercial agriculture that will help to create jobs to revitalise the state’s economy.
“Agriculture is a major enabler for growth for the new Nasarawa trajectory,” he said.
Abdullahi noted that the partnership with AGRA would deepen the agricultural reforms embarked upon by Gov. Sule’s administration since inception in 2019.
He expressed delight with AGRA’s focus on the transformation of the entire agricultural value chain and recognising the role of government as an enabler to improve the business environment and attract more investment.
Also speaking, Dr Charles Iyangbe, Chief Executive Officer, Jesnoch International, the implementing firm, said the project would run from January 2025 to June 2027.
Iyangbe said that the project entails working within institutional framework and enabling environment around agribusiness to produce an improved State Agricultural Policy document to deliver food system transformation in the state.
According to him, the project will also develop a State Agricultural Investment Plan for Nasarawa in line with the National Agricultural Investment Plan to attract investments into the sector.
Iyangbe said that it would build the capacity of about 30 staff of the ministry of agriculture, to be able to deliver efficient and effective food system transformation programme in Nasarawa State.
