Dr Mahmood Abubakar, the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, attends the National Agricultural Show which is part of the activities of the World Food Day 2021, saying national food reserve is expected to increase by the end of 2022 as a result of various intervention programs and policies of the present administration towards driving the agricultural sector.
Dr Abubakar at the event boasted that significant progress has been made to improve agricultural productivity since the inception of the present Administration, adding that Nigeria has abundant rainfall, 230 billion cubic meters of surface and underground water that could support 84 million hectares of arable land, of which 40% is cultivated.
World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year worldwide on 16 October , it was established by FAO’s Member Countries at the Organization’s 20th General Conference in November 1979.
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It was established to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. It’s been observed every year in more than 150 countries, raising awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.
The minister explained that the Agriculture for Food and Job Plan (AFJP), a component of President Buhari’s Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) targets five to ten Million jobs in the agricultural sector and provides zero-interest loans to farmers to lift Nigerians out of poverty.
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Also at the event was the Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Fred Kafeero, he was represented by Dr Guy Kouame, who noted that the show is meant to sensitize the public on how everybody has a role to play in ending hunger.
“Through these shows, farmers learn the good agricultural practices and technologies that are necessary for improving their production, reducing post-harvest wastes, adding value and linking them up with markets”. Kafeero said
