Federal Govt, Ekiti To Strengthen Collaboration On Agric Development

Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has expressed readiness to collaborate with Ekiti State government in a step towards enhancing agricultural development and food security in the state.

This was the discussion when the governor of Ekiti State, Abiodun Oyebanji visited the ministry yesterday in Abuja.

The minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari who received the governor, reiterated the commitment to driving agricultural transformation, enhancing productivity, and ensuring food security in line with the current administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The minister expressed confidence that through continued collaboration and dedication, challenges  will be overcome and collective goals for a more prosperous agricultural sector in Nigeria will be achieved.

Kyari said that the federal government is currently addressing challenges observed during the ongoing wheat dry season farming as he assured that the ministry remains committed to implementing stringent measures in the forthcoming second phase of the dry-season farming for rice, maize, and cassava to ensure transparent distribution and target genuine farmers.

The minister further sought the support of all stakeholders, including states, local governments, traditional rulers, farmers’ associations, NGOs, and relevant government agencies to overcome those challenges.

In his remarks, Oyebanji sought the federal government’s support for enhanced implementation of agricultural policies in Ekiti State.

The governor expressed readiness to key into the ministry’s policy document especially the Agro Pocket Scheme to drive the state agricultural sector.

Oyebanji said, “My visit here today is to explore the area of collaboration with the ministry in the following areas, we want to be part of a Agro Pocket Scheme, we are prepared for that and we also want to see if it’s possible for you to assist us in the area mechanisation.

What I intend to see after this meeting is for us to set up a structure to take this further so my team from Ekiti can come here across the value chain and discuss our agriculture policies and look at areas of collaborations”.