From Magnus Eze, Abuja
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is working closely with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to ensure the reliability of agro exporters in order to leverage on the available opportunities.
The minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who stated this at the national farmers empowerment programme organised in Abuja, also said government was determined to partner both local and foreign investors as well as other relevant bodies to attain food security for the country.
Represented by the Director of Agricultural Land Resources and Climate Change, Mr. Sunday Edibo, he said government was taking difficult decisions in the immediate and short terms to reverse the ugly trend it met on ground.
He explained that the interventions were such that would move agriculture forward and contribute to repositioning the economy, diversifying it away from over-reliance on oil.
He noted that the increasing attention of the private and foreign investors in agriculture was a testimony to the prospects in the sector.
He commended Euro-base Consult and its foreign partners in ensuring that Nigerian farmers were encouraged and supported while calling on other investors to consider the gaps that could be filled to bring Nigeria’s agriculture to its place of pride.
“Under our watch, the private sector will be at the forefront while government will provide the necessary enabling environment for the operators to thrive,” he stated.