Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has expressed satisfaction with the growing level of agricultural investments and processing activities in Kaduna State, describing them as a reflection of Nigeria’s increasing capacity in crop production, value addition and quality control.
Kyari stated this in Kaduna after inspecting facilities at Olam Agri, Tomato Jos and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) as part of activities during the 47th National Council on Agriculture and Food Security (NCAFS) in Kaduna.
The minister lauded the transformation taking place within the state’s agricultural sector, noting that the facilities showcased significant private-sector participation and technological advancement.
“It’s impressive what we’ve seen from crop production to processing,” Kyari said, “We also saw a quality assurance office being constructed by Afreximbank to certify Nigerian produce for both local and export markets.”
He dismissed claims that investors were keeping away from the agricultural sector, insisting that more Nigerians, particularly youths and women, were showing renewed interest and confidence in the industry.
“There is rising interest in agriculture. We met a young lady managing a rice mill with women out-growers, this shows strong participation and confidence,” he stated.
Kyari further assured that the federal government was taking concrete steps to tackle high input costs and restock the nation’s strategic reserves to enhance food production and stabilise farmers’ income.
“Mr. President is balancing the welfare of citizens and farmers. We are addressing input prices and will soon restock the reserves to enable all-year-round production,” the minister added.
Responding to concerns raised by Tomato Jos over poor sales due to smuggling, Kyari revealed that the issue was receiving attention at the highest level of government.
“The Economic Management Team has noted the issue of smuggling and illegal imports, and it is being addressed to protect local producers,” he said.
