Benue: Commissioner Seeks More Agricultural Interventions

Benue State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Benjamin Ashaver, has sought additional agricultural interventions and pledged the Ministry’s support for the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Ashaver stated this on Tuesday when an ICRISAT delegation visited the Ministry’s Headquarters in Makurdi, to interface with him.

The Commissioner expressed the state government’s desire for more interventions from development partners, describing them as necessary amidst competing demands on limited resources.
He assured ICRISAT of the Ministry’s commitment to ensure that the intended beneficiaries derive maximum benefits.

Earlier, ICRISAT Country Director, Dr Victor Afari-Sefa, represented by the institute’s consultant, Dr Ignatius Angarawai, said Benue was among the states identified for interventions to improve food security, nutrition, climate resilience, and livelihoods.

He said ICRISAT was developing a climate-smart investment framework, with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), to guide donor support, while stressing the need to address the roles of women and youth in agriculture, human and livestock health, and climate-smart irrigation.

Also, ICRISAT Global Food Systems Economist, Dr Kamara Amadu, said that subsequent stakeholder workshops would focus on developing a durable solutions framework to address the needs of farmers, internally displaced persons, and host communities affected by conflict.