President Bola Tinubu has ordered a 93 per cent reduction in the cost of agricultural inputs for farmers to enhance food security in the country.
Senior Special Adviser to the President on Food Security, Yejide Ogundipe, disclosed this, yesterday, at the inauguration of state coordinators for the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progress (NWAP) and commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD), in Abuja.
Emphasising the government’s commitment to supporting farmers by subsidising essential agricultural inputs by 93 per cent, Ogundipe blamed banditry for the food crisis ravaging the country.
“Last year, the government gave a 50 per cent subsidy to the farmers, but some (farmers) could not even pay. Now, what the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is doing is to give all those inputs to farmers at a very minimal cost. 93 per cent of the cost will be borne by the government.
“What this means, for instance, is that if a bag of fertiliser is N100, you only have to pay N7 while the government pays N93. We are very serious about this. The President is serious about this. We, as leaders, meet daily to discuss how to bring down the cost of food,” she stated.
The Presidential aide said the Tinubu administration had resolved to expand the capacity of farmers to engage in the cultivation of key staples like rice, maize, cassava and wheat across the country.
Stressing the need for more women to be empowered in the agriculture sector, she said “time has come for women to take their rightful place” in the sector.
She added: “The President is passionate about agriculture as we speak, and I know he is passionate about women in business, agriculture and in whatever area. The President knows that food security is important. Last year, he declared a state of emergency on food security. That was because the United Nations (UN) said by 2024, about 23 million Nigerians would be hungry. No woman wants her family to go hungry. He has expanded access to loans.
“Food insecurity is all over the world, not just Nigeria. Why we have this problem is because of banditry. The farmers could not go to the farm. Those that went to the farms were chased out, molested and some were killed. But this has reduced immensely as the security agencies are working.”
Professor of Agricultural Economics, Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Faith Ibrahim, expressed the need for prioritisation of inclusive agriculture for women, noting that women farmers account for 70 to 80 per cent of Nigeria’s food production.
While calling for the creation of an enabling environment for the growth of women farmers and enhanced food security, the professor also called for the provision of single-digit loans for women farmers, emphasising the potential for increased productivity with gender-friendly policy frameworks.
National Coordinator of NWAP, Omolara Svensson, expressed the organisation’s commitment to prioritising agribusiness in Africa to enhance food security, accessibility and affordability.
