Agriculture boosts Nigeria’s economy

Nigeria’s economy received a boost of 309 billion naira ($220.3 million) following the initiation of dry season farming, focusing on cultivating 118,657 hectares of wheat across 15 states. This initiative aims to accelerate year-round farming activities, UkrAgroConsult reported on Monday citing Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Sen Abubakar Kyari.

Kyari made his announcement during the Ministerial Sectoral Update marking the first anniversary of the Renewed Hope Agenda under the administration of President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

Providing updates on food and nutrition security, he highlighted that the Ministry had provided support to 107,429 wheat farmers with necessary inputs, resulting in an output of 474,628 metric tonnes.

In response to a presidential directive, the Ministry released 42,000 metric tons of assorted food commodities from the FGN Strategic Food Reserve to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for distribution.

Furthermore, the Ministry procured and distributed 58,500 metric tons of milled rice to all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to mitigate rising prices.

Additionally, efforts were made to enhance the nutritional content and health value of food commodities by fortifying crops with Vitamin A micronutrients.