The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said he Federal Government has signed the action plan on strengthening partnership in agriculture and food security with Belarus.
Kyari, who disclosed this in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle @SenAKyari on Saturday evening, said the plan was for 2024 to 2029.
The Minister described the development as a significant milestone in the relationship between Nigeria and Belarus.
The post reads: “During my recent visit to Belarus, I was honoured to be warmly received by Sergey Lukashevich (@lukashevich77), First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.
“Together, we have signed the Action Plan on Strengthening Partnership in Agriculture and Food Security for 2024-2029.
“This pivotal agreement underscores our mutual commitment to advancing cooperation in the agricultural sector.
“This partnership is set to foster significant growth and development in agriculture, enhancing food security for both our nations. By working together, we are not only fortifying the ties between Belarus and Nigeria , but also ensuring the well-being and prosperity of our citizens. Our dedication to this collaboration reflects our shared vision for a future of sustainable agricultural development and mutual benefit.
“We look forward to the positive impacts this partnership will bring and remain steadfast in our commitment to achieving these goals.”
Lukashevich on his verified handle @lukashevich77, a few moments later, also posted: “Glad to welcome Minister @SenatorAKyarif rom @NGfmafs in Belarus. We signed a good document to expand our cooperation in the agricultural sector. We continue to promote the relationship between Belarus and Nigeria for the benefit of our peoples.”
Despite loudly pronounced efforts of successive administrations, including the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and that of the incumbent President Bola Tinubu to boost agricultural productivity in order to diversify the economy, it is ironical that Nigeria continues to expend scarce foreign exchange on food importation. Statistics from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicate that the apex bank released $2.13 billion to Nigerians who imported food in 2023. A breakdown of the details showed that $245.7 m, $163.6m, $268.4m, $240.9m, $238.3m and $206.1m were utilised for food imports in January, February, March, April, May and June, 2023, respectively.
In a similar vein, $58m, $95.3m, $119.9m, $132.4m, $235.9m and $126.2 m were expended on the importation of food from July to December, 2023.
Indeed, the nation’s food imports had witnessed a steady increase from N886.8billion in 2017 to N857.6bn, N959bn, N1.2 trillion, N2 trillion and N1.9 trillion in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.
In contrast, the statistics of food exports by Nigeria showed a consistent trade deficit as the country exported food worth N170.4 billion in 2017, N302.3 billion in 2018, N269.8 billion in 2019, N321.5 billion in 2020, N504.9 billion in 2021 and N598.2 billion in 2022.
The food items imported included wheat, rice, sugar, fish, milk/dairy products and vegetable oil. However, given her large mass of arable land and conducive climate to grow a diversity of food products, experts contend that there is no excuse for the country not being a net exporter of food, contrary to the case today. That Nigeria’s agricultural sector is grossly underperforming is indicated by the current astronomical rate of food inflation which, as at March, was estimated by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) at 40.1% on a year-to-year basis, as a result of sharp increases in the prices of basic food items. By April 2024 the food inflation rate had been estimated to increase to 40.53% which was 15.92% higher than the comparative rate of 24.61% in April 2023.
Key food staples whose prices have soared include gari, rice, bread, yam tubers, poultry products, fish, beef, eggs and vegetable oil, to name a few.
In its analysis, the CBN attributes high food costs and imports largely to the effects of insecurity and flooding.
With large numbers of farming communities across the country’s fertile agricultural zones destabilised and displaced by rampaging herdsmen, bandits and kidnappers, among other criminals, the humongous amounts invested in boosting agricultural productivity can only be minimally effective. The situation is worsened by the devastating effects of flooding, leading to the erosion and destruction
of tracts of farmland.
All of these call for a more urgent effort on the part, especially of the Federal Government, to take decisive steps to curb the pervasive insecurity in the land so that disrupted sectors of the economy, like agriculture, can return to optimal productivity.
Again, state governments and disaster management agencies at all levels must take better advantage of advance warning given by meteorological authorities on impending flood occurrences to take proactive steps to protect the destruction of farming communities as much as possible.
On the surface, large scale food importation and high food costs suggest that there is severe shortage of food in the land. But some stakeholders have pointed out that large quantities of food crops such as yam tubers, cassava, potatoes or tomatoes and vegetables are produced in states like Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara or Taraba, but get spoilt due to lack of modern storage facilities as well as good roads linking rural farming communities to urban markets. Priority must thus be accorded to redressing the infrastructure deficit in the agricultural sector.
Lawmaker representing Oluyole state constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Waheed Akintayo (Ilumoka) has appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde through the state Ministry of Education to reintroduce the practice of school gardens in both government and private schools/institutions across the state as a means of boosting food security.
Akintayo appealed shortly after presenting a motion on the floor of the House on the need to embrace the resuscitation of school gardens in both public and private schools and institutions in Oyo state.
He noted that cultivating school gardens was the priority of the government, school management, and the entire students in the past as large portions of school lands were used to cultivate crops such as yam, cassava, maize, vegetables, and beans.
The lawmaker who enjoined the state government to provide necessary logistics and support for the reintroduction and sustenance of school gardens to enhance this practice, advocated a day set aside each week in schools for agricultural practicals on the school farms.
This, he added would encourage the students to take an interest in farming while the same will be replicated in each household where gardens will be cultivated for domestic consumption.
“In the past, every school used to have large portions of land for cultivation. The students had spaces allocated for them to plant a particular type of crop which would be effectively monitored by teachers and Agric prefects. In those days, each school had a designated day within the school hours for agricultural practicals which would enable all students to assemble and work on the school Gardens.
“When matured, the crops would be sold, given out to teachers or staff or sold to the local markets as a source of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the school. It will interest Honourable colleagues to note that some of the proceeds from the sales of the farm produce from the school gardens were usually used for the purchase of some instructional materials for schools, equipped libraries with books, bought laboratory equipment, and at times used for the celebration of the end of the year party for teachers and students.
“There is no doubting the fact that the importance of school gardens is the provision of food and inculcation of agricultural practices in students.
“Aware that in the past two decades, the practice and habit of cultivation of school gardens by public and private schools in Oyo state had gone into extinction. The most disheartening aspect of it is that most students of primary and secondary schools nowadays do not have simple agricultural knowledge of farming. Some have the orientation or mindset that yams for instance are plucked from trees. This is unfortunate.
“Concern that in addressing the food shortage that has plunged the country and states into famine and food crisis in recent times, It is advisable for government and other stakeholders in the education sector in both public/private primary and secondary schools as well as other educational institutions to go back to the drawing board by reintroducing and embracing the practice of school gardens through the cultivation of different crops.
“By so doing, it is believed that each household will imbibe the spirit of having a House garden to cultivate crops for domestic consumption.”
Professor Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji from Edo State University has urged Nigeria to prioritise investment in research, infrastructure, and training.
The don also sought collaborative efforts in microbiology to address the challenges facing food production due to farmland loss and climate change.
He made this known to newsmen on Thursday, May 9, while speaking as a guest lecturer during the 2024 International Conference Organized by Glorious Vision University (Formerly Samuel Adegboyega University), Ogwa, Edo State.
According to him, employing advanced technologies and using natural resources like helpful microbes can help solve these problems.
He said Microbes can improve agriculture, waste management, water purification, renewable energy, and public health.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations had earlier informed that the world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, and to feed these many people, food production needs to increase by 60%.
The Microbiology Professor therefore noted that there is a need to increase the production of safe, quality, nutritious, and healthy food that could feed the ever-increasing population, as well as search for sustainable solutions that could make the environment a healthier planet.
The conference which was held at John Babatope’s hall of the University had the theme, “Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development, and Conflict Resolution”.
However, Professor, Adetunji, while speaking on the topic “Next-Generation Microbiological Techniques for Circular Economy and Realization of Sustainable Development Goal”, said: “There is a need to identify major innovations that could boost the global economy.
“Moreover, there is a need for universities, industries, and research institutes to resolve some of these highlighted challenges. Some of the major challenges that need to be tackled by mankind include, how will agriculture undergo a significant transformation to feed the ever-increasing population.
“The issue of climatic changes, especially in the developing world, Health challenges and hazards as a result of exposure to agrochemicals, High rates of environmental pollution and anthropogenic activities, and Higher levels of industrialization resulting in increased discharge of waste from agriculture, industries, and households, among many others.
“Therefore, there is a need to increase the production of safe, quality, nutritious, and healthy food that could feed the ever-increasing population, as well as search for sustainable solutions that could make the environment a healthier planet.
“Also, the constant loss of arable lands, which has become a threat to global biodiversity and ecosystems, is a result of various anthropogenic activities.
“Additionally, the issue of climate change has imposed dangers on agricultural productivity, especially from biotic and abiotic stressors such as temperature-limited environments like high altitudes or seasonally hot regions. Given the aforementioned, there is a need to adopt sustainable advanced, and modern technologies that can boost and improve food production rates and mitigate the higher level of environmental challenges.
“One of the cheapest means of enhancing food production sustainability is to explore several unexplored natural resources, including beneficial microorganisms, especially their biological control attributes, to improve crop production, health, tolerance to stress, resistance to pests and diseases, support nutrient uptake and availability, and boost biodiversity. The fact that most rural dwellers and farmers, especially from developing countries, as well as the high demand for safe and pesticide-free food, has led to the demand for alternatives to biological control methods.”
While charging students to collaborate with other fields of study not considering their major, he also called on Universities to collaborate with industries and theoretical knowledge, for research and education in sustainable practices like product design, waste reduction, and recycling.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Conference, Dr. Kingsley Enerijiofi, said the importance of conflict resolution remains the bedrock of co-existence which provide a basis for sustainable living and development for the overall good of man.
Also in the same light, The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ezekiel Asemah, also welcomed the participants and declared the conference open. He thanked the Chairman and members of the committee for organizing the conference. He also set up a committee on research collaboration in other to help students collaborate with industries and theoretical knowledge in their walks of life for research and education in sustainable practices like product design, waste reduction, and recycling.
The organisation believes it will be able to increase job creation, better livelihoods for rural people, and improved food quality and safety by exploring innovation in agricultural and rural development. AFCDF is an initiative of Agbeyewa Farms, a subsidiary of Cavista Holdings.
Speaking during the launch of AFCDF, Executive Director of Cavista Holdings, Dele Odufuye, stressed how the foundation is in line with Cavista’s broader goal of transforming communities and creating enduring value for all stakeholders.
He highlighted the pivotal role of Agbeyewa Farms in funding the foundation’s initiatives, underscoring the company’s dedication to corporate social responsibility and community welfare.”The launch of the Agbeyewa Farms Community Development Foundation marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to serving and empowering the people of Ekiti State,” stated Dele Odufuye. “Through strategic investments in education, healthcare, sports, environmental sustainability, and economic empowerment, we aim to catalyze positive change and unlock the full potential of our communities.”
He disclosed that the Foundation had already successfully executed several initiatives over the last 2 years, with the most recent being the organisation of a medical outreach, the sponsorship of the Agbeyewa Football Cup Competition for Ekiti State secondary schools, as well as the donation of food palliatives during the last Christmas, Easter and Sallah holidays. The foundation’s establishment heralds a new era of collaborative efforts and impactful initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive growth and prosperity in Ekiti State. With a focus on sustainability and social impact, Agbeyewa Farms remains steadfast in its mission to create a brighter future for generations to come.
The foundation’s launch took place recently during a retreat for selected traditional rulers in Ekiti on the traditional institution and private investment promotion in Ekiti State. Distinguished guests at the event included; the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, represented by Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Ojo Atibioke; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Adeoye Aribasoye; Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade and , Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utility, Mobolaji Aluko and other notable attendees.
Olam Agri in Nigeria, an agribusiness in food, feed and fibre has reaffirmed its commitment to helping Nigeria achieve food security.
The company made the pledge during a recent meeting with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun.
The meeting which is part of the agribusiness strategic engagements with critical stakeholders had in attendance the Managing Director of Olam Agri in Nigeria, Anil Nair, the Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacchaeus Adedeji, the Accountant General of the Federation Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, and the Director Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Olam Agri, Ade Adefeko.
The latest engagement came on the heels of a courtesy visit to the Vice President of the Federation, Sen. Kashim Shettima (GCON), and a tour of the agribusiness rice farm and mill by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari.
Speaking during the meeting, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, implored Olam Agri to leverage its impressive scale with presence in the Rice, Sesame, Animal and Fish Feed, Wheat Milling value chains as well as biscuits confectionery and culinary product manufacturing.
He spoke on government reforms to curb inflation, particularly food inflation, and called on the agribusiness to continue deploying its scale, global expertise, and deep resources to engender wider access to quality food and nutrition to the teeming population in a bid to achieve food security.
In response, the Managing Director of Olam Agri in Nigeria, Anil Nair, said, “Our commitment to driving food security is evidenced by the sprawling investments we keep making to raise productivity in the rice, animal feed and protein, wheat and flour milling, sesame, and edible oils value chains.
The board of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $50 million loan for the Yobe State Environmental and Climate Change Action Project (ECCAP) to enhance climate change resilience, boost food security, and improve livelihoods for over 3.5 million people in northeast state
The project cost is estimated at $101.34 million with the African Development Bank providing a $50 million loan while the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) is expected to provide $30 million in co-financing. Yobe State Government will contribute $4.52 million in counterpart funding, and project beneficiaries are contributing $16.82 million.
ECCAP will support the federal and state governments in their efforts to respond to the challenges of droughts and desertification, empower women by supplying small ruminants and providing cooking stoves to develop micro, small and medium-size enterprises, among other interventions. The project will also support the preparation of Yobe State’s gender policy.
The implementation of a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme will incentivize the population to maintain 2.0 million regenerated trees on farms and support payments for labour and related services to plant and maintain 20 million drought-resistant trees. This project complements the bank’s and other development partners’ on-going and planned projects to address climate change and promote livelihood improvements in Yobe State.
Speaking during the approval of the project, African Development Bank Group President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said the project will help tackle general insecurity, climate vulnerability, food insecurity and build resilient livelihoods.
“This is a very practical and granular project that tackles the issues of insecurity, more generally vulnerability, but also food security, and restoration of the degraded environment. It is all about how we build resilient livelihoods. This is a project that shows how we can do that in an integrated way.”
Director General of the Bank’s Nigeria Country Department, Lamin Barrow, said, “With the key interventions in afforestation and reforestation contributing to carbon sequestration, this green project will help reduce vulnerability to climate shocks, build the resilience of the target population and boost Nigeria’s efforts to meet its African Forestry Landscape Restoration Initiative goal to restore 4 million hectares of land degraded by climate change, a regional and global public good, and Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 15 targets.”
Martin Fregene, Director of the Bank’s Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department, said, “The ECCAP project is not a typical livelihood support project; it seeks to fill a gap to ensure sustainability in livelihood-enhancing projects. The project will lead to the improvement of the vegetative cover of the state with more than 20 million established trees over 120,000 hectares and will train selected youth and women to set up 3,560 new MSMEs that will process and market new products using raw materials from trees, such as neem oil, and introduce improved clean cooking stoves and clean cooking technologies targeting 10 % of the population.”
The bank’s current portfolio in Nigeria comprises 50 operations amounting to $4.6 billion. The portfolio is fairly well distributed across the bank’s High 5s priority areas.
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and Permanent Representative of Nigeria with World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Professor Charles Anosike, has said that effective early warning system, equipping farmers with the knowledge of weather patterns and seasonal forecasting could boost food security and ensure adequate protection from climate disasters.
Professor Anosike spoke on Thursday, March 21, as a panelist during the USAID Global Food Security Strategy Country Plan launch in Abuja.
The panel discussed the role of development partners and Nigerian MDAs in ensuring food security.
Professor Anosike said that Nigeria is presently facing food security challenges which requires a new way of thinking by integrating weather and climate related factors into the entire agricultural value chain.
According to him, “NiMet is working with partners to mainstream weather and climate information in the agricultural value chain. We are using co-production mechanism to facilitate our seasonal climate prediction. NiMet ensures appropriate understanding and use of weather information by stakeholders to improve planning and strategic decision making.
“Our annual Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) is a climate action -early warning tool that gives an outlook of weather and climate variability in upcoming months within the year. It highlights rainfall patterns and temperature variability.”
He added: “Unpredictable rainfall patterns and extreme events can trigger competition for food and water. Declining agricultural outputs can lead to loss of income and exacerbate food insecurity. Temperature changes affect crop growth and yield, and can also destroy crops during post processing and transportation.
“We need to intensify our collaborative efforts with deliberate and intentional strategy to promote climate – smart agriculture and invest in preparedness, and improve the response ability of our smallholder farmers. Climate change may not be the only source of our problems, however, climate change is the ‘threat multiplier’ as it intensifies resource scarcity and deepens food insecurity.”
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and Permanent Representative of Nigeria with World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Professor Charles Anosike, has said that effective early warning system, equipping farmers with the knowledge of weather patterns and seasonal forecasting could boost food security and ensure adequate protection from climate disasters.
Professor Anosike was speaking on Thursday, 21st March, 2024, as a panelist during the USAID Global Food Security Strategy Country Plan launch in Abuja. The Panel discussed the role of development partners and Nigerian MDAs in ensuring food security.
Professor Anosike said that Nigeria is presently facing food security challenges which require a new way of thinking by integrating weather and climate related factors into the entire agricultural value chain. According to Professor Anosike; “NiMet is working with partners to mainstream weather and climate information in the agricultural value chain. We are using co-production mechanism to facilitate our seasonal climate prediction. NiMet ensures appropriate understanding and use of weather information by stakeholders to improve planning and strategic decision making. Our annual Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) is a climate action -early warning tool that gives an outlook of weather and climate variability in upcoming months within the year. It highlights rainfall patterns and temperature variability”.
Continuing, Professor Anosike said; “Unpredictable rainfall patterns and extreme events can trigger competition for food and water. Declining agricultural outputs can lead to loss of income and exacerbate food insecurity. Temperature changes affect crop growth and yield, and can also destroy crops during post processing and transportation”.
The United States government yesterday said it has invested $200 million in food security in Nigeria in the last five years.
The government also said another $150 million was given as grants to 33 private sector companies in Nigeria.
The US Acting Ambassador to Nigeria, David Greene said another $22 million has been invested in Nigeria’s cocoa value chain, spanning across seven states.
Greene who is also US Embassy Charge de Affairs, spoke in Abuja at the 2024-2029 Global Food Security Strategy Launch.
The implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy for Nigeria is expected to boost agriculture productivity and drive agriculture-led economic growth over the next five years.
Greene however said despite the support, Nigerians are best placed to solve the issues that affect them.
He said: “The U.S. government is providing broad assistance across Nigeria to support agriculture development. As Melissa mentioned, USAID invested almost $200 million in agriculture for the last five years to improve food security and build household resilience to shocks in Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe states.
“We also provided modest grants to 33 private-sector companies to leverage over $150 million in private-sector development, generated $306 million in domestic sales, and created over 23,000 jobs.
