Sen. Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, has announced on Monday that N309 billion had been injected into the economy following the launch of a dry season farming initiative.
This initiative has led to the cultivation of 118,657 hectares of wheat across 15 states, marking a significant step toward year-round farming.
During the Ministerial Sectoral Update on the one-year anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Kyari provided a comprehensive update on food and nutrition security.
He revealed that the Ministry had supported 107,429 wheat farmers with necessary inputs, resulting in a substantial output of 474,628 metric tonnes of wheat.
In response to a presidential directive, the Ministry released 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted food commodities from the Federal Government’s Strategic Food Reserve to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for distribution. This move aims to bolster food security in emergency situations.
However, to address the rising prices of staple foods, the Ministry procured and distributed 58,500 metric tonnes of milled rice to all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Additionally, crops have been fortified with Vitamin A micro-nutrients to enhance their nutritional content and health value.
These initiatives highlight the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring food security and improving the nutritional standards of food commodities across the nation.