Abdullahi M. Gulloma
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved $152.12 million (about N35.9 billion) loan and $385,000 (N64.5 million) grant from the African Development Bank (ADB) to support the agricultural transformation agenda of the federal government.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting in Abuja, Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina, said the loan was affirmation by the global institution of what the administration was doing on the right track as regards agricultural development in the country.
He said the loan would help Nigeria to add 20 million metric tons of food to its domestic food supply by 2015 away from its present 15 million metric tons., adding that government targets creation of 120,000 jobs which include 36,000 women and the participation of 200,000 youths in the initiative.
He said the loan would be used to develop commercial production and support private sector processing and value addition for the commodities in Adani-Omo in Ebonyi and Enugu states for rice and cassava; Bida and Badegi for rice; Kano and Jigawa for rice, tomatoes and sorghum; Kebbi and Sokoto states for rice and sorghum.
