FG Eyes 10 Million Jobs With Dry Season Farming

The Federal Government, on Monday, said the 2024 dry season farming would create 5-10 million jobs across the country.

It disclosed this at the 30th regular meeting of the National Council on Water Resources and Sanitation organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in Abuja.

Last week, farmers and agro-dealers were optimistic that the cost of food items could drop in the coming months following the cultivation of about 323,000 hectares of farmlands across the country with the support of the Federal Government.

The report stated that the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket Project, January 2024, by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, showed that four major crops: wheat, rice, maize and cassava, were currently being cultivated in large proportions, starting with wheat.

It stated that the document, obtained from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, indicated that the targeted hectares being put into cultivation under the 2023/2024 dry season farming for the various crop value chains were wheat, 123,000 hectares; rice, 150,000 hectares; maize, 30,000 hectares; and cassava, 20,000 hectares.

Commenting on this year’s dry season farming during his address on Monday at the National Council on Water Resources, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanisation, Shehu Aliyu, said some programmes had been introduced to ensure the successful implementation of the 2024 dry season farming and create millions of jobs.

The permanent secretary further explained that the major components of the declaration of a state of emergency on food security with respect to the water and sanitation sector include the fact that “all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability as essential livelihood items be included within the purview of the National Security Council”.

He said there was a need for an urgent synergy between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to ensure adequate irrigation of farmland and to guarantee all year round food production.

He noted that the declaration also required the ministry to “engage our security architecture to protect the farms and the farmers such that farmers can return to the farmlands without fear of being attacked”.

Also, last week, the Governors of Kwara, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; Taraba, Agbu Kefas; Ondo, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; and Kogi, Ahmed Ododo, stormed the Abuja headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to push for increased crop production to ensure food security in Nigeria.

Abdulrazaq, who doubles as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, had told the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, at the meeting that adequate concentration should be given to food security.

He, however,  stressed that the country’s food remained the cheapest in West Africa