The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Shehuri, has stated that Nigeria’s food system is weak and susceptible to shocks.
The Minister made the comment on Monday at the 2021 ‘Feed Nigeria Summit’ which took place in Abuja.
The Minister who was represented by the Director of the Federal Department of Agriculture, Karima Babangida, said the summit will help the ministry to re-examine the weak link, with a view to strengthening it for an agricultural system that will work for Nigeria and stabilize food security.
He noted that the ministry is committed to creating a functional food system that will allow all Nigerians unrestricted access to good quality, nutritious and safe food.
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“This underscores the various programmes and interventions that are ongoing in the ministry in areas of agricultural livelihood and support, food safety, and the provision of infrastructure in different ecological zones of the country,” he said.
He added that for a sustainable food system, Nigeria must work to overcome the challenges of poor quality food supplies, hunger, malnutrition and improper habit of food wastage.
“This is the acceptable consumption behaviour globally to which the average Nigerian, especially in the urban areas, pays little or no attention,” he said.
“If we devote so much to produce, we should pay more attention to avoid waste because of its negative economic and environmental impact.”
Also, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Nanono, said some people may end up hungry despite the country’s adequate food production owing to a lack of money.
He cited unemployment as a great challenge the country is faced with.
“I recently met with some young Nigerians who are into processing and synergising agriculture with industry, and that is exactly what we need in this country,” Nanono said.
“Unless we create that relationship and make it strong, poverty will persist.
“If we do not focus on how to remove this fundamental issue of an army of unemployed youths and move them to be gainfully employed, we are doing nothing, the relationship between the agricultural sector and the industrial sector is a must.”
