Agriculture & food

Our country richly endowed with God-given resources has over 84 million hectares of arable land. To put this in geographical context, Nigeria’s arable land is larger than the entire land mass of Turkey. And barely 40% of this arable land is cultivated today.-PO #POinAtlanta

Deprivation, political polarization and policy inertia combine to exacerbate insecurity. The herders-farmers crisis has been poorly handled. The conflict has exacerbated because it has become an existential problem. The herders-farmers conflicts have existed for a long time,

I am an avid proponent of agriculture, especially as we have so much arable land in Nigeria. In fact, Africa as a whole has 65% of arable land. So, there are lots of economic opportunities in agriculture.

The first thing to tackle is food inflation. Once we tackle insecurity and farmers return to farms, our food production will go up and inflation will go down through reduced food prices. When you remove subsidy,

We will also set target for national food and agricultural output, with guaranteed government buyback options, with the aim to creating food security, protecting local producers, reducing Nigeria’s food import,

First, our focus will be on agriculture and production-centered growth for food security and export, with more emphasis on exporting finished products instead of commodities and raw materials. This relates mainly food and textiles.

I Just arrived in Gombe to continue my discussions with Nigerians on the way forward to a national rebirth. The vast arable lands of the North is a new vista that must be opened up to serve Nigeria and Africa. The agricultural potentials are infinite. -PO https://t.co/fB5oEN9BNW

As the global community marks World Food Day today, we must remind ourselves of the present food crisis in the nation, and seek urgent steps to salvage the people from further hunger and starvation. Food crisis has remained a serious challenge facing many households in Nigeria,

A few days ago, I visited a large farmland, Mary Agro Farms in the Udi Area of Enugu State and donated N10m to support their innovative agricultural productivity. I was impressed by the progress they have made after starting just two years ago when I first visited and https://t.co/PnCQH6G4Fc

Yesterday, as part of my nationwide tour coinciding with the sacred months of Ramadan for Muslims and Lent for Christians, I had the privilege of visiting the Forestry/Crop Science Nursery at the esteemed Faculty of Agriculture within the Usmanu Danfodiyo University-Main Campus https://t.co/2FWh1IPK9o

I just read on the daily, this morning, about the concerns from stakeholders in our agriculture sector over the worsening food insecurity in Nigeria. While I have consistently and publicly voiced my worries over this growing food crisis,

Today, I was one of the panellists at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 held in the Rwandan capital Kigali. At the session, I reiterated my long-held position that food insecurity in Africa is intrinsically linked to human insecurity. Using Nigeria as an example, I emphasized that solving food insecurity is a major path to general security in the country. By investing in agriculture and food-related productivity, Nigeria will not only be addressing the hunger will also create huge job opportunities for the teeming unemployed population, especially the youths in their productive age. Reducing reliance on food imports will help ease the strain on our currency, steady exchange rates, and rein in inflationary pressures driven by high food costs. To further elucidate the untapped potential in our food production chain, Bangladesh, with approximately 148,000 square kilometres less than 1/6th of Nigeria's about 923,768 square kilometres, produces 35-40 million tons of rice annually. In contrast, Nigeria produces only 3-4 million tons of rice, which is roughly 10% of Bangladesh's rice production. This disparity which is similar to the African situation highlights the untapped potential of Africa's agricultural sector and underscores the need for investment. Food insecurity, if addressed properly in Africa, can be a catalyst for enhancing human security and promoting overall development. With significant investments in agriculture and food systems, we can create jobs, reduce poverty, and tackle hunger simultaneously. We can even feed basic food processing industries and thus create even more jobs. By focusing on sustainable agricultural practices and value-chain improvements, we cannot only ensure food also empower communities and promote economic growth, leading to a more prosperous and secure Africa. We must prioritize food security to unlock the continent's potential and address the pressing issues of human insecurity. An Africa that feeds itself is at the center of our aspiration. -PO