The
Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari
sympathized with farming communities across the country whose farms produces were
destroyed by flood.
The
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in its recent figures revealed that
over thousands of hectares of farmlands were damaged with more than forty
thousand people displaced by the flood across the nation.
The
Minister said “The development is worrisome and will have a negative impact on
the social and economic well-being of the rural farmers, especially the
small-scale farmers.”
"As
we witness the devastation caused by the recent flooding in our agricultural
heartlands, my thoughts turn to the hardworking farmers whose livelihoods have
been swept away by the unforgiving forces of nature."
"We
will meet our food security target despite the losses, we will intensify
efforts in dry season farming to cover the losses," Kyari added.
"The
impact of this will be felt on the anticipated harvest this year, though we are
hopeful it will have minimal effect on national food security."
Kyari,
also commiserated with the farmers who lost their crops as a result of the
flood that lasted for weeks in some part of the country.
Senator
Abubakar Kyari further said the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR has encouraged the Ministry and Nigerians to
invest in technologies and practices that empower the farmers to adapt to a
changing climate and safeguard their livelihoods against unpredictable weather
patterns.
“By embracing
smart agriculture and harnessing the potential of early maturing seeds, the
country can pave the way for a more sustainable and secure future for the
agricultural sector.”
"We
will meet our food security target despite the losses, we will intensify
efforts in dry season farming to cover the losses," Kyari added.
He said his ministry and that of water resources and sanitation are collaborating towards improving areas under cultivation during dry season farming.
"We
have constituted a committee already between the staff of the two ministries
and key players working on ways to achieve the objectives of increasing food
production through dry season farming."
He
urged all citizens to join hands in solidarity with the farmers, states, and
local governments to offer more support and resources to those who toil
tirelessly to feed the nation.
"Together,
we will weather this storm, and together, we will emerge stronger, united in
our commitment to stand with our farmers today and always," Kyari
concluded.