Minister advocates agric insurance to boost food production

Abubakar Kyari, Nigeria’s minister of agriculture and food security, has advocated for creating an agricultural insurance and weather advisory desk at the community level to enhance adaptation and resilience to climate change by smallholder farmers.

Kyari believed this would promote a sustainable environment for agricultural investment and ultimately lead to increased food production.

The minister stated this at a recent agricultural insurance and climate advisory roundtable meeting held in Abuja.

Represented by Deola Tayo Lordbanjou, the director of the agricultural extension services, the minister pointed out that making weather advisory services available at the community level would reduce the effect of climate change on the agricultural ecosystem and boost production.

The importance of insurance cover for farmers cannot be overemphasised as this can help to protect investments, increase productivity as well as livelihoods of farmers which will in turn aid the country achieve its food security objectives’’.

“There is also the growing frequency and severity of flood, drought, and other environmental disasters arising from climate change. Farmers are particularly vulnerable to these disasters, and it sets them back each time they occur by wiping off their investments’’.