- Vice President woos investors with Nigeria’s 70m hectares of arable land
Investors have been given a glimpse into the country’s massive agricultural potential.
Vice President Kashim Shettima unveiled the enormous capacity for investment in agribusiness in Iowa, United States on Tuesday.
To guarantee food security, he said the Federal Government plans mechanised farm centres in all the 774 local government areas.
According to him, Nigeria remained the best place to invest, “with about 70 million hectares of underutilised arable land, which is 75 per cent of our total land area”.
He added: “Nigeria offers a substantial opportunity to both local and foreign investors to boost agricultural productivity.
“This is why we’ve embraced the TAAT, GIP, and SAPZ programmes and we are investing in agricultural research through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF).
“This is why we are helping our farmers increase production and providing essential infrastructure for industries in peri-urban areas to expand their capacity.
“This is the wisdom for our resolve to establish Mechanisation Service Centres in all our 774 Local Government Areas to facilitate essential primary production services.”
Shettima’s remarks were made available by his spokesman Stanley Nkwocha.
The Tinubu Administration has expressed its interest in diversifying the economy from oil and gas to agriculture.
Shettima spoke during the Norman Borlaug International Dialogue.
The Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, also referred to as the “Borlaug Dialogue,” is a gathering of individuals from more than 65 countries fully prepared to address cutting-edge issues related to global food security and nutrition.
The theme of this year’s lecture is “Harnessing Change”. The Vice President told the gathering that under President Tinubu’s watch, Nigeria has since demonstrated that the Agrifood sector was a top priority.
Delivering his address titled, “Nigeria’s Agribusiness Roadmap for a Prosperous Future,” VP Shettima said: “Our primary objective is to empower our farmers and attract investors.
“We are increasing primary production to harness the economic potential of agro-processing and industrialisation.
“This is why, upon assuming office, the President declared a state of emergency in agriculture.
“The connection between food and national security is too significant for us not to be alarmed by happenings around the world, whether in response to unforeseen disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic or the geopolitical frictions around us.”
Restating Nigeria’s firm belief in the power of partnership, the VP explained that it was for this reason that the country had prioritised interventions, which he said present profound economic opportunities for investors.
He listed the interventions to include:
*The National Agriculture Growth Scheme (NAGS);
*the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT);
*The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES);
*The Green Imperative Project (GIP) and
*The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programmes.
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“Allow me to share that Nigeria understands the essence of partnerships in sustaining the dreams and promises that have brought us together today.
“This is why we are already collaborating with institutions such as the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Islamic Development Bank, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to achieve food and nutrition security in Nigeria and beyond.
“With the invaluable support of our partners, we are exploring innovative strategies to transform this quest for food security into a thriving enterprise,” Senator Shettima stated.
He added that while much of the demand for agribusiness products was satisfied through imports, the Tinubu Administration is dedicated to reversing Nigeria’s over-reliance on importation.
VP Shettima noted that apart from the fact that its strategic location in West Africa provides easy access to regional and international markets, Nigeria was also poised to dismantle investment barriers.
This, he said, is being achieved through a supportive policy framework such as the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP).
He continued: “Because we believe that import rules are a significant factor, we’ve established a policy of zero duties on agricultural machinery and imposed restrictions on certain agricultural commodities to stimulate local production.
“We are also offering preferential financing and subsidies, exemplified by an agricultural credit guarantee scheme that guarantees up to 75 per cent of loans for agricultural ventures.
“We’ve also introduced a range of tax incentives, including tax holidays, deductions for locally sourced materials, labour incentives, and pioneer status incentives, making it easier to conduct business.
“Notably, we’ve opened the doors to foreign investors, allowing them to have 100 per cent ownership in companies and repatriate their profits and dividends without hindrance.”
While introducing VP Shettima, Ambassador Terry Branstad, President of the World Food Prize Foundation and former U.S. Ambassador to China, described the Nigerian Vice President as a rare African statesman whose leadership qualities, loyalty as well as sense of commitment to nationhood and development can best be described as legendary.
He expressed optimism that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidency would be successful given its devotion to results-oriented diplomacy.
Attending the Dialogue with the Vice President were Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang; Minister of Agriculture, Sen. Abubakar Kyari; and Consul General (New York) Amb. Lot Egopija, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement (Office of the Vice President), Dr Kingsley Uzoma, among others.
