Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has approved the distribution of 200 rice mills to farmers across the country.
Speaking during an interactive session with a team of social media influencers in Abuja at the weekend, the minister explained that the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise (LIFE) scheme would also create an atmosphere for food processing mills to be established in rural areas to create wealth and jobs for the rural women and youths.
Ogbeh disclosed that there is a budgetary provision in the year 2017 for the building of dams and lakes in order to have an all year round planting season and harvests and stated that the ministry has not endorsed the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), noting that the ministry is adopting the use of hybrid seeds.
He urged urged state governments to give more support to the development of agricultural sector and asked the team of social media influencers to pass the message of hope across to the public.
He disclosed that as part of measures to tackle the clash between farmers and herdsmen, the training of 3000 Agro-Rangers has commenced in collaboration with the Civil Defence.
The Minister advised youths in the country to embrace agriculture, adding that the present administration would soon launched the “Invent Your Future” programme.
The Minister informed the team that the Ministry would soon launched ‘Invent Your Future’ programme and advised the youths in the country to go into farming which according to him is more profitable.
He said: “If you have a piece of land ,go into plantations such as banana, cashew nuts, coconut, plantain, sesame seeds, gum Arabic among other crops”
Ogbeh noted that the average age of a farmer in Nigeria is 65 years, adding that the Federal Government was taking proactive measures to mechanize agriculture by bringing in modern technology to attract young farmers into the sector.
The Minister enumerated various challenges facing the sector which includes the high rate of interest rate by commercial banks and explained that the Bank of Agriculture were being restructured to serve as both commercial and development bank for farmers while branches will be opened at every local government area of the federation and government was working towards achieving a single digit interest rate loan for Nigerian farmers.
He added that the Bank of Agriculture would be segmented to cater for every segment of the society which would include the youths.
Ogbeh said the Ministry had taken various measures to address the issue of rejection of Nigeria’s agricultural produce by the European Union as a result of high level of pesticide with the setting up of an inter-ministerial committee on zero reject in ensuring certification, standardization and quality control of the country’s agro produce for local consumption and for export which had hitherto been a challenge.
