Niger has overtaken Benue as Nigeria’s food basket – Commissioner

Niger State has emerged arsenic Nigeria’s starring cultivation producer, surpassing Benue State arsenic the nation’s nutrient basket, according to the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Musa Bosso.

Bosso made this declaration during the 2024 World Food Day solemnisation held astatine the Legbo Kutigi Conference Centre, Minna, wherever helium stated Niger State’s important strides successful agriculture nether Governor Mohammed Bago’s leadership.

Governor Bago, represented by Deputy Governor Garba Yakubu, pointed retired the state’s ambitious cultivation plans, stating that Niger is present well-positioned to provender not lone its residents but the full country.

Bago announced that 3 cardinal hectares of arable onshore person been designated for agriculture, on with different infrastructure investments to boost nutrient production.

He stated the taxable of the celebration, “Safer Foods and Better Health,” noting its relevance fixed the economical challenges, insecurity, and clime alteration that person exacerbated nutrient insecurity crossed Nigeria.

Bago reiterated that his administration, nether the New Niger Agenda, is focused connected turning Niger into a starring cultivation authorities done sustainable development.

“We volition research astir 3 cardinal hectares of arable onshore with abundant h2o bodies, 23 grazing reserves, and 94 wood reserves to harness our greenish system potential,” the politician said.

He added that the authorities had made important investments successful cultivation machinery, including 1,000 John Deere tractors, 500 Case tractors, and 500 combined harvesters, adding that plans besides see the improvement of an Agro-processing Free Zone adjacent the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport successful Minna.

Bosso expressed pridefulness successful the state’s cultivation achievements, boasting that Niger State has present overtaken Benue successful nutrient production. He credited the occurrence to Governor Bago’s policies and committedness to boosting the cultivation sector.

“This is simply a unsocial infinitesimal for us, arsenic it marks the archetypal clip successful astir 20 years that Niger State is celebrating World Food Day,” Bosso said.

He called connected investors to instrumentality vantage of the immense opportunities disposable successful the state, pledging that Niger volition proceed to pb successful nutrient accumulation and lend to nationalist nutrient information and export markets.

Governor Bago urged planetary partners to proceed supporting Niger’s cultivation improvement done collaborations that heighten infrastructure, modernize farming practices, and beforehand worth summation crossed cardinal crops similar rice, maize, cassava, and sorghum.

The politician assured that these efforts would destruct hunger and amended the livelihoods of the state’s residents.