FG Sets Up Technical Committee to Boost Livestock Development, Staple Crop Production

FG Sets Up Technical Committee to Boost Livestock Development, Staple Crop Production

The Federal Government has set up a technical committee to speed up livestock development and increase the production of wheat and other staple crops across the country as part of efforts to strengthen food security.

Vice President Kashim Shettima constituted the committee on Tuesday during a high-level meeting on agricultural sector performance and strategic interventions at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Shettima charged members of the committee to work together, share ideas and develop a clear plan for implementing key interventions in the agricultural sector.

The meeting followed an earlier engagement with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last week, which brought together stakeholders in agriculture and other sectors to discuss ways of improving food production and addressing challenges in the sector.

The committee comprises representatives of the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, Water Resources and Sanitation, and Livestock Development. Other members include the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), the Special Adviser and Coordinator on Presidential Livestock Reform, and senior presidential aides responsible for agribusiness, productivity enforcement, food security and livestock development.

Also on the committee are the Chief Executive Officers of the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, National Agricultural Land Development Authority, National Agricultural Seeds Council, National Agricultural Development Fund, National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, National Sugar Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Commodities Exchange, and National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.

The committee will be coordinated by the Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Agriculture and Head of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, Ms Marion Moon.

Speaking after the meeting, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said discussions focused on addressing major challenges facing farmers and making better use of available resources to increase wheat production and expand dry-season farming across the country.

Kyari explained that President Tinubu had directed the Vice President to identify existing challenges in the agricultural sector and work towards addressing them.

He said the President had consistently encouraged farming throughout the year, stressing the need for better coordination among government agencies and the federal, state and local governments to improve food production and tackle food shortages.

According to the minister, the technical committee would bring together relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to coordinate efforts and develop recommendations for implementing the proposed interventions.

He added that the committee’s report would be reviewed by another committee before being presented to the Vice President and subsequently to the President.

Earlier, Ms Moon said agricultural development was a shared responsibility of the federal, state and local governments.

She identified gaps in coordination among the three tiers of government as one of the challenges affecting agricultural development, stressing the need to improve communication and cooperation to ensure that policies and interventions reflect realities at the state and local levels.

Moon said it was important for the Federal Government to align its priorities with activities at the state level to achieve better results in agricultural production.

She called for stronger collaboration among all levels of government to ensure that agricultural interventions are properly coordinated and effectively implemented.

The initiative is expected to strengthen coordination in the agricultural sector, support farmers, expand crop and livestock production, and contribute to the Federal Government’s efforts to improve food security across the country.

FG Sets Up Technical Committee to Boost Livestock Development, Staple Crop Production