Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh and Water Resources Suleiman Adamu, the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Theodore Orji and Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu on Thursday re-assessed the nation’s agricultural sector at the 43rd National Council on Agriculture, implying that there is still a long way to go towards attaining food security.

Adamu said from the point of view of water resources, irrigation, large and medium dam projects and small earth dams were capable of jumpstarting the collaborative efforts between the ministry and Ministry of Agriculture/Rural Development towards enhancing food production and security. He stated this through Mrs Christi Odua in Umuahia, Abia State.

Ogbeh, in a keynote read by his Permanent Secretary, Dr Mohammed Bello Umar, said the focus of the council was to provide a policy direction that would improve the enabling environment for investors and strengthen the development of the agricultural sector to attain food security and sustain livelihood in the country hence the theme was chosen.

Ogbeh said, “Our principle is to increase agricultural output, reduce food importation, guarantee a secure and safe food for Nigerians and make the country an export hub.”