The Federal Government has pledged its commitment to sustainable agriculture and agribusiness, with incentives to support high-level private participation.
Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture stated this while delivering a speech at the opening of the third agribusiness roundtable conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Monday.
Kyari said the Federal Government has deliberately designed agricultural investment incentives to ensure a stable and viable economic climate for local and foreign investment. According to him, while some of these incentives are in the form of tax holidays, exemptions and reliefs, many leverage on specific government policies, performances of companies as well as relevant international investment treaties.
“One of the cardinal reforms in the agricultural sector is making agriculture a business away from the primordial approach of being a development programme.
“We are improving the agriculture value chains to unlock value for our farmers with a special focus on areas in which we have a comparative advantage.
He said it was in line with the vision of President Bola Tinubu who declared a state of emergency on food security geared towards an agricultural revolution that would strengthen food and nutrition security as well as encourage industrialisation for wealth and job creation.
“We are resolute to deliver enabling policies and programmes in line with the ministry’s deliverables assigned by President Tinubu that would ensure Nigerians are well secured.”
He said the Federal Government was committed to working with relevant stakeholders to build an agriculture and agribusiness economy capable of delivering sustained property and meeting the domestic food and nutrition security goals, generating wealth and job creation and private investment.
Kyari said that the Federal Government was working with states and the organised private sector to support youth and women with access to technical, entrepreneurial, business and marketing skills.
He expressed the hope that the conference would spur ample opportunities to strengthen the agribusiness sector and contribute to the desired growth to guarantee food security, employment, and diversification for the transformation of the nation’s economy for nation security.
John Etim, the Akwa Ibom State commissioner for trade investment, in his welcome address, highlighted the state government’s investment in agriculture. Etim noted that the Arise Agenda, the economic blueprint of the state government has added value to the development of the state with top priority in agriculture.
The theme of the three-day conference is “Unlocking agribusiness opportunities for economic sustainability”, and it is being attended by stakeholders in the agriculture sector, including banks, financial institutions, farmers and private sector operators.
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