The Federal Government has reiterated the importance of sustainable seed system in Nigeria, saying sustainable seed system makes agricultural revolution sacrosanct in the bid to diversify the economy.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, in a special address on Monday, while declaring the SEEDCONNECT AFRICA 2021 Conference and Exhibition open with theme ‘Strengthening resilience through Partnership for a Robust Seed System in Nigeria’, which is being organised by the National Agricultural Seeds Council, NASC, in Abuja.
In his words, the minister said, “among other things we need to do, to staying up the curve, is making concerted efforts to ensure our citizens can afford, assess, utilize safe and nutritious food at all times”. The minister also pointed out that recent statistics show that agriculture is the biggest contributor to the Nigerian economy at 29.9%.
According to Abubakar, his Ministry is implementing various agricultural policies formulated since 2015 by promoting research applications, reviving extension services, easing input access, strengthening regulatory frameworks, facilitating affordable credits, increasing commodity output, enhancing processing capacity, broadening market access and expanding revenue earnings.
