The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Mustapha Baba-Shehuri, has solicited technical support of partners to integrate states and local governments in advancing agricultural practices in Nigeria.
Baba-Shehuri said this while receiving some partners from Canada, South Africa, South Korea, India, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, USA along with All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
He said that Nigeria’s agricultural sector had huge potential to drive the country’s economy in line with the diversification policy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
According to Shehuri, the market is massive enough across the value chain to achieve food sufficiency and export agricultural products.
“There should be robust collaboration between the three tiers of government and AFAN,” the minister said.
He urged all the relevant stakeholders to streamline policies and programmes to achieve food and nutrition security in order to boost the economy.
Alhaji Farouk Rabi’u-Mudi, President of AFAN, said that the association’s vision was a nation where sustainable agriculture was the bedrock and core foundation of the economy.
“Leveraging on our human and material resources, connecting with rural small holder farmers to cultivate ideas for sustainable growth will form our core values in advancing agricultural practices.
“Our visitors are here to support us with providing farmers with vehicles that will mobilise farmers as they set out for their periodic preparations for any farming season.
“They will provide the much needed support to our farmers around agricultural mobility to reduce the burden in transporting resources in preparation for farming regimes and after harvest.
“Moving workers supervision, management, harvest and post harvest, these vehicles are in form of passenger and pick-ups and are fully tracked.
“In the process, our partner Buck Stalker Nigeria will establish assembly plants across the geo- political zones, which will create employment opportunities for our teeming youth,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among the visiting partners were Sounghor Motors of South Korea and Buck Stalker Nigeria.