Food security heartbeat of Nigerians, agric minister says

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono, yesterday said food security remains the worry of many Nigerians, and that effort will be made to combat hunger.

Nanono who stated this at this year’s Feed Nigeria Summit in Abuja explained that Nigeria has no excuse for agricultural production shortfall, adding that the government was doing everything to feed 400 million population in the next decade.

He noted that though the country is blessed with an abundance of human and material resources, “we are still witnessing low productivity in our agricultural sector. Also, there should be a synergy between farmers and industrialists.”

Earlier, the chairman of the Organising Committee, Prof. Eustace Iyayi, said the theme: ‘Agribusiness: Leading Nigeria’s recovery’ was focused on the previous gains, which led to the feeding of over seven million children in the country.

Also speaking, Prof. Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka of African Development Bank, regretted that food security has hit poor rural communities. He called on the Federal Government to step up food production.