FG accelerating agric growth for self-sufficiency, says Finance Minister

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed says the federal government has acknowledged the relevance of the agric sector which is why it is crafting policies that will grow the sector.

The minister stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a sensitization for the National Agricultural Sample Census held in Abuja on Thursday.

According to Mrs Ahmed, the importance of the event is underscored by the fact that it is aimed at sensitizing relevant stakeholders and the general public on the importance of the National Agricultural Sample Census (NASC) and soliciting for their cooperation towards its success.

Underscoring the relevance of the Sector, she said: “Agricultural Sector is one of the most important sectors in Nigeria. It represents approximately 24percent of the Nigerian economy and engages well over 50percent of the workforce, both directly and indirectly. The sector is not only vital for economic output and employment purposes, but more importantly, it is an essential part of the societal culture.

“The importance of this sector, more than ever before, has been demonstrated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, through the heavy investments channelled into it since 2015. These investments aim to increase output in the entire value chain to meet the nation’s demand for food, employment, and export earnings.

“It is as a result of government’s heavy investment and attention to this sector that during the recession brought in by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the security challenges being encountered in some parts of the country, the sector consistently recorded positive GDP numbers. While the sector has performed significantly well over the years, a lot more remains to be done. Nigeria’s population continues to increase exponentially and food supply must meet the demand of the growing population.

“One of the biggest impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic was the disruptions in the global supply chain, which severely impacted the movement of food and basic items across international borders.

“This has shown clearly, the importance and need for countries like Nigeria with significant food imports, to be self-sufficient in the staples consumed. It is for this reason that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari has always promoted the need for Nigeria to produce what is to be consumed and consume what is produced domestically. This has remained the policy thrust of his administration.

“To this effect, this administration will continue to invest heavily in all aspects of the agriculture value chain, taking advantage of all available resources, both human and natural to grow and develop the sector to derive the maximum benefit possible”.

Speaking further, Mrs Ahmed said the success of policies plans and programmes can only be achieved with the right data underpinning them, hence the high premium this government places on quality data.”This can be seen in the transformation that has taken place in NBS over the years. The Bureau is among the very few agencies of Government to have recorded close to 100 per cent releases of its annual capital budget in recent years. Let me assure you that Government is determined to sustain this arrangement in the coming years even in a better form. This is a further demonstration of the commitment of this administration to use the instrumentality of sound statistics in designing appropriate policies to grow and develop all aspects of the nation’s economy,” she added.