Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security pledges to reduce post-harvest losses
By Kasim Isa Muhammad
Kanempress News
8th October 2024
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has pledged to significantly reduce post-harvest losses in the agricultural sector by 25 per cent as part of its efforts to ensure food security and boost domestic production.
This commitment was made during the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones High-Level Implementation Acceleration Dialogue held in Abuja on Monday.
The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones initiative is a Nigerian government programme , aimed at boosting agriculture through targeted investments, integrating farming, processing, and marketing to increase productivity, reduce losses, and enhance value addition for food security, job creation, and poverty reduction
It is supported by the African Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Islamic Development Bank.
In his keynote address, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, emphasised the urgent need for a collaborative approach to tackle the existing challenges within the agricultural sector.
According to him, the SAPZ initiative aims to create agro-industrial processing zones across seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with a focus on key crops like cassava, rice, maize, and cocoa.
The Food Programme is expected to generate approximately 500,000 direct and indirect jobs while also contributing additional metric tonnage to the nation’s food supply.
