The Federal Government has secured a deal worth €995 million with the Brazilian Government and the German Deutsch Bank Group to finance a Green Imperative Programme in Nigeria.
This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Abubakar Kyari, at the recent flag-off ceremony of the Food Security and Agricultural Mechanization Programme in Niger State.
According to the minister, the program aims to create mechanization hubs in each of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria as part of its implementation plan.
He said: “A Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the John Deer Group, a subsidiary of Tata Equipment, was signed.
“The manufacturer has signed to deliver 10,000 units of tractors and implements in tranches of 2,000 units per annum for the next five years.
“The Greener Hope Initiative is another veritable platform the federal government is deploying to ultimately change the deficit narrative in the Nigerian agricultural mechanization space.”
On his part, President Bola Tinubu said his administration remains committed to ensuring food sufficiency and protecting local industries for sustainable economic growth.
The president added that the initiative is for the deployment of cutting-edge agricultural machinery and technology for large-scale agro-value chain development in the state.
“We have seen the level of commitment here. We have seen leadership. The success of any leader will depend on their ability to do what needs to be done when it ought to be done.
“It is now time for us to address the challenges and make Nigeria an economy of opportunities. We must care for our people; re-orient our people. I do not see why Nigeria cannot feed all students in its schools,” he said.
Persecondnews reports that Nigeria’s food inflation currently stands at 35.41 percent, and as a result, the prices of food items have quadrupled.
Author
Leave a comment