FG restates commitment to boost food production, value addition

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to boost food production and productivity with emphasis on value addition to produce, to enhance the economy of the country.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, stated this at an investment forum between a delegation from Saudia Arabia and Nigerian Agro-Allied Business Community on Thursday in Abuja.

The delegation was led by Abdulrahman Alfadley, the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The minister said that the forum is a logical outcome of the economic diplomacy being championed by President Bola Tinubu, who is Nigeria’s Marketer-in-Chief.

“At various international fora, Mr President has laid out clearly investment opportunities in Nigeria as well as the comfort for investors, by way of steadily improving levels of ease of doing business and a range of fiscal and other incentives.

“Nigeria is open and ready for business. In Agriculture and related sub-fields, the opportunities are enormous.

“Our national goal in agriculture is to boost production and productivity with a keen eye on value addition to our produce,” he said.

Kyari expressed optimism that the forum would lead to the signing, sealing and delivery of deals beneficial to Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, Alfadley said that food production, availability and accessibility were priorities to every country.

“We do believe that Nigeria has some comparative advantages and there is need to invest wisely in the agriculture and food sector whereby we will be targeting the Nigerian market or exporting to nearby countries,” he said.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev said that water is important to irrigated agriculture.

Utsev expressed optimism that the partnership would benefit Nigeria in the areas of sanitation and hygiene.