The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, says the Federal Government is committed to making the country an agriculture export hub.
Ogbeh made this known on Thursday during the opening ceremony of the council’s meeting at the ongoing 43rd National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development conference in Umuahia.
The theme of the event was: “Consolidating the Strategies of Agricultural Promotion Policy for Economic Diversification and Growth”.
The Minister, who was represented by Dr. Mohammed Bello of the ministry, said that the Federal Government had resolved to increase agricultural productivity, reduce food importation and implement programmes that promote food safety and security.
“We shared this agenda with the stakeholders of the National Council on Agriculture at the 41st meeting held in Kano in 2016.
“It led to the articulation of the 2016 to 2020 Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) and its Investment Financing and Implementation Plan (IFIP).” He said that agriculture was a significant sector in Nigeria because of its contribution to food production and overall development of the nation’s economy.
