The Presidency has inaugurated the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU) to tackle the country’s soaring commodity prices and general food insecurity.
On Friday, Vice President Kashim Shettima engaged state governors, development partners, and other critical stakeholders in the ongoing efforts to address hardship in the land.
This was followed by a presentation by Marion Moon, Technical Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Office of the Vice President.
Addressing members of the group comprising governors, cabinet ministers, and representatives of development partners, Shettima said: “The nation is facing a rare food security crisis, and the sooner we come to terms with the reality, the better.
“Food insecurity endangers the very basis of our democratic experiment, and this is why all hands have to be on deck.
“We are in a food security crisis, but it also provides us the opportunity to re-engineer and reposition the nation on a firmer footing.”
The Vice President outlined the PFSCU’s mandate and noted that all stakeholders’ ideas and resources were necessary due to the urgency and seriousness of the current issue.
He made reference to the Green Imperative Programme, a government-catalysed, private sector-driven, agricultural industrialization programme, as one initiative that the PFSCU must work assiduously to activate and operationalize.
He stated that with improved farming practices, improved seeds, and the use of fertilizers, Nigeria’s agricultural productivity could be turned around for the better.
Earlier, state governors in the committee outlined plans to modernise farming practices, increase crop yields, and transform Nigeria into a self-sufficient food producer.
Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River State said his state is looking to feed the country, noting that his government must modernize agriculture to feed the population.
“We are an agrarian state, and we have stepped up our game,” Governor Otu noted.
On his part, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum emphasized the need for a coordinated approach, citing low productivity and population growth as a major challenge to the nation’s food security drive.
He called for investment in commercial agriculture, improved funding, and enhanced security for farmers.
Also, Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi highlighted the state’s potential to achieve food security.
“All that is needed is the political will to drive the process. Our lands are very fertile. In Jigawa, there are places where we are yielding ten tonnes per hectare of rice.
“There are so many places like that. As of today, our average in Jigawa State is about 12.56 per hectare. We are on the right course. What we need is sustained political will,” Persecondnews quotes Namadi as saying.
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