Agric Ministry holds Sectoral Retreat to appraise, refocus for accelerated growth<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has held a Ministerial Sectoral Retreat for internal appraisal and refocusing of sectoral initiatives in order to accelerate growth in the sector.<\/p>\n
The Minister, Sen. Abubakar Kyari while addressing participants at the event held in Abuja, today, stated that the event would ensure proactive and adaptive management approach, policy reform, and strategic planning that will drive sustainable agricultural development while also enhancing food sovereignty<\/p>\n
Kyari stated that the theme: \u2019Performance Improvement and Strategic Alignment,” underscores the Federal Government’s intensified push to reposition agriculture as a major driver of economic growth, job creation and investment, with a new policy focus on mechanization, value-chain development, agribusiness financing and market expansion<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the \u2018\u2019Ministry is committed to leveraging technology, Innovation and climate -smart agriculture to boost productivity and resilience. Let us commit to the mission of feeding Nigeria; creating jobs, and driving economic growth through sustainable agriculture\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The Minister disclosed that the Ministry is collaborating with international partners to secure funding and expertise for agricultural initiatives, noting that key focus areas include Ensuring farmers’ safety, Managing agricultural landscapes, Providing rural infrastructure, Intensifying research innovation, Facilitating extension services and Undertaking agribusiness ventures nationwide<\/p>\n
He reaffirmed that \u2018\u2019the policy direction is aimed at unlocking agriculture\u2019s full business potential by transforming farming into a scalable, profitable enterprise \u201cOur focus is to transit from subsistence to commercial farming. Agriculture must deliver productivity, income, jobs, and wealth creation\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
In a statement by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Head of Information at the Ministry, Kyari stated that \u2018\u2019the Federal Government is implementing mechanization partnerships with international equipment manufacturers from Belarus, Brazil, and global firms such as John Deere and Origin, in a bid to close Nigeria\u2019s long-standing tractorisation gap\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
He added that the initiative would reduce production costs, increase yields, and attract private investment into farming and agro-processing.<\/p>\n
The Minister mentioned that the Ministry is expanding Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) through the establishment of Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, Agro-Industrial Estates, Agro-Processing Centers and Cottage Processing Mills, These facilities are designed to boost value addition, reduce post-harvest losses and deepen agro-industrial activities nationwide\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
He noted that \u2018\u2019to improve market stability and reduce price volatility, the Ministry is implementing a National Food Reserve Programme to mop up excess production during peak seasons, ensuring a steady supply and predictable pricing for both farmers and consumers<\/p>\n
Other market-oriented initiatives include the development of Commodity Market Hubs, Farmers\u2019 Markets, and Rural and Cooperative Markets to expand consumer demand and improve farmers\u2019 access to profitable outlets”<\/p>\n
Kyari stressed that the Ministry has programmes targeting youth and women in agribusiness, describing them as key to unlocking Nigeria\u2019s demographic dividend and stimulating rural economies.<\/p>\n
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi emphasized that the Ministry is deliberately restructuring itself to support private sector participation, data-driven decision-making, and performance management.<\/p>\n
He informed that new departments have been created, namely Agricultural Mechanization, Agricultural Data and Analytics, Agricultural ICT, Horticulture, Plant Health, and Development Partners Projects, to sharpen the Ministry\u2019s focus and improve efficiency.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019The Ministry is strengthening financing windows through the Bank of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Development Fund to support farmers, processors and agribusiness investors across the value chain\u2019\u2019.He added<\/p>\n
In her goodwill message, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Civil Service Matters, Mr. Alfred Abba said that the retreat would deepen leadership cohesion, reinforce institutional discipline, and chart a clear, unified pathway for Ministry and its agencies in line with public service reforms policies.<\/p>\n
The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, in his welcome address, stated that \u2018\u2019the Retreat provides us with a valuable opportunity to pause, reflect, and strategically reposition the Ministry and its agencies for greater effectiveness in the discharge of our mandate\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
He revealed the key institutional milestone that forms an important focus of the retreat \u2018\u2019the validation of the performance management systems (PMS) Automation and the electronic content management (ECM) Platform, in preparation for the Go live of the ECM Platform on 18th December,2025.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ogunbiyi added that “the Go live was planned to be after this retreat where all of us will have the opportunity to jointly do the validation exercise for the two platforms. This exercise is both strategic and transformational for the Ministry\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Agric Ministry holds Sectoral Retreat to appraise, refocus for accelerated growth The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has held a Ministerial Sectoral Retreat for internal appraisal and refocusing of sectoral initiatives in order to accelerate growth in the sector. The Minister, Sen. Abubakar Kyari while addressing participants at the event held in Abuja, today, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":149436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[243,18,20],"tags":[1955,2582,2118],"class_list":{"0":"post-149434","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-agriculture","8":"category-news","9":"category-the-nation","10":"tag-fmafs","11":"tag-ministerial-sectoral-retreat","12":"tag-senator-abubakar-kyari"},"yoast_head":"\n