Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has said that Nigeria will require about 312,000 metric tons of seed in 2024 to achieve its objectives in food security, sufficiency, and global stability.
Senator Kyari said this yesterday, during a High-Level Stakeholders’ Forum on Seed System Development in Abuja, organized by the Feed-the-Future Nigeria Integrated Agriculture Activity.
Represented by the Director of the National Food and Strategic Reserve, Dr. Haruna Suleman, Senator Kyari explained that the ministry has identified various strategies to address the challenges facing food security in Nigeria.
According to him, these strategies must be implemented over short, medium, and long terms within a four-year period, with an initial target to produce 31 million metric tons of grain by 2024.
Kyari noted that seed availability, affordability, and adaptability must be put in place to ensure the success of these food security measures.
The minister also revealed that new government programs would be put in place. According to him, these programs will offer subsidized rates for high-quality seeds of staples such as rice, wheat, maize, and cassava.
The Minister urged all stakeholders in the Nigerian seed sector to embrace collaboration and partnership, stressing that this would help to form a cooperation based on knowledge sharing, skill exchange, expertise, competitive advantage, and mutual benefits.
Furthermore, Senator Kyari urged collaboration and partnership among key stakeholders in the Nigerian seed sector. He emphasized the importance of creating a cooperative framework based on knowledge sharing, skill exchange, expertise, competitive advantage, and mutual benefits for all involved.
