The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the head of Audu Ogbe, launched the National Action Plan for Women (PNC) for agriculture in order to create opportunities for women in Nigeria.
The Minister said that the goal of the National Action Plan on Gender Issues is to build the capacity of women farmers to transition from subsistence agriculture to medium / large-scale agriculture; saying that women are good managers, and their commitment to the well-being of the family and society cannot be emphasized.
He also began further that women remain the backbone of our countries' agriculture, as they immeasurably contribute to the development of the sector, as evidenced by various statistics in which women make up 70 percent of small farmers who actually feed the nation.
The Minister, however, acknowledged some of the problems that women face in the agricultural sector, including low access to finance and agricultural resources, such as fertilizers, improved seeds, farming, agrochemicals, access to land, market access, and in some cases lack of security.
The President’s wife, Ms. Aisha Muhammad Bukhari, was represented by First Lady Special Assistant Dr. Hadjo Sani, who showed that raising a girl-girl is paramount to the sustainable development of society and that when you bring up a girl-child You have allowed the child to be able to stand up on their own.
She also believes that the launch of the National Action Plan on Gender Issues will be of great importance for the advancement of women from subsistence agriculture to modern agriculture.
The ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr. Abudulkadir Mouazu, who was introduced by the ministry’s director, Dr. Watergir Bright, during his keynote address, said that Nigerian agriculture and food industries are still unable to meet the demand of more than 170 million people quantitative and qualitative terms; assuring that Nigeria is working to reduce its food support bill in excess of $ 11 million, i.e. almost N1.2 trillion a year so that local producers can take advantage of opportunities to create wealth and create jobs for the country.
Director of the extension service at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture Ms. Karim. Babaginda stated that the National Gender Plan for Agriculture (NGAP) is the basis for affirmative action to ensure that current sectoral policies produce tangible results each year, adding that it also aims at outlining specific concrete programs and actions in rural areas needed to maximize the potential of many farmers, including female agricultural practitioners.
Meanwhile, the federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to creating jobs for millions of Nigerian youth through an e-wallet system; which will reduce unemployment, increase productivity and ensure sustainable development.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the head of Audu Ogbe, spoke about this during the demonstration of the Agric Show / Farms exhibition organized as part of the events marking World Food Day on October 16, 2018 in the state of Abuja-Keffi Nasarava; The theme of this year's agricultural show is “Strategies for promoting the export of agricultural products.”
The Minister said that the Green Alternative is an agricultural policy initiated by the federal government aimed at developing agriculture, attracting the private sector, creating jobs for young people, ensuring food security and adding value to the agricultural sector.
He also stated that zero hunger is achievable; encourage all partners and stakeholders to work together to ensure the proper creation, provision of seeds and fruits to stimulate agribusiness, in order to provide effective extension services and their delivery.
Ogbe, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Abdulkadir Muazu, further reported that the Green Alternative Policy has begun to benefit the economy; the rice revolution to some extent ensured food security; with a huge reduction in rice imports and the improvement of self-sufficiency in food production.
He said that World Food Day this year coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the 40th anniversary of its existence in Nigeria, in which the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the National Agricultural Fund Nigeria and All Farmer Associations of Nigeria demonstrate the national potential of agriculture to celebrate the celebration.
In his presentation on this occasion, the representative of the country Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Nigeria, Mr. Sufyan Koroma, said that the concept of “Zero Hunger” is broader and not limited to combating malnutrition, since it also aims to provide people with nutrients for a healthy life.
A country representative who saw the FAO Zero Hunger agenda in 2030 aimed at eradicating hunger and ensuring sustainable development showed that global hunger had risen rapidly in recent times, adding that the latest estimates of undernourished people in the world increased in 2017, third year in a row.
He said that last year 821 million people suffered from hunger (11 percent of the world's population — one of nine people on the planet), most of them farmers living in poor rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia; FAO's “Pledge of Hunger” agenda in 2030 will lead to the eradication of hunger and sustainable development worldwide.
National President of the Association of All Farmers of Nigeria (AFAN), Arc. Kabiru Ibrahim, in his message of goodwill, praised the ministry’s efforts to make the event successful this year, adding that farmers are delighted and encourage everything possible to ensure the mainstreaming of food security and sustainable development. He stated that the country had to harvest a bomber, despite the experience of flooding in many parts of the country this year.