Flooding setback to FG’s food security target – Kyari
Omeiza Bilal
The Federal Government has raised concern over the effect of the current flooding on farm harvest this year.
This is even as it said that despite the setback, the country would still meet its food security target.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stated this in a statement recently sympathising with the farmers, especially smallholders’ farmers who are the most affected, calling for adoption of smart agriculture promising the government will intensify efforts to cover the loss through the dry season.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had raised the alarm that thousands of hectares of farmlands have been destroyed with over forty thousand people displaced by the flood across Nigeria.
Kyari said the development is worrisome and will have a negative impact on the social and economic well-being of the rural farmers, especially the small-scale farmers.
“As we witness the devastation caused by the recent flooding in our agricultural heartlands, my thoughts turn to the hardworking farmers whose livelihoods have been swept away by the unforgiving forces of nature.”
“The impact of this will be felt on the anticipated harvest this year, though we are hopeful it will have minimal effect on national food security.”
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has encouraged us to invest in technologies and practices that empower our farmers to adapt to a changing climate and safeguard their livelihoods against unpredictable weather patterns.
He said by embracing smart agriculture and harnessing the potential of early maturing seeds, the country can pave the way for a more sustainable and secure future for the agricultural sector.
Kyari said the ministry and its water resources and sanitation counterparts are collaborating towards improving areas under cultivation during dry season farming.
“We have constituted a committee already between the staff of the two ministries and key players working on ways to achieve the objectives of increasing food production through dry season farming.”
He urged all citizens to join hands in solidarity with the farmers, states, and local governments to offer more support and resources to those who toil tirelessly to feed the nation.
