The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to scale up rural access and agricultural marketing through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
The Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi stated this at the 8th Joint World Bank and French Development Agency Implementation Support Mission on Monday in Abuja.
He said that the agricultural sector was a foundation of Nigeria’s economic growth and the sustenance of the country’s communities.
“It (Agriculture) is not merely a means of livelihood for millions of our citizens; it is a catalyst for job creation, food security, and sustainable development.
“Our commitment to transforming this sector is unwavering, particularly in fostering initiatives that enhance rural access and marketing.
“Not only agricultural commodities, but moving people closer to life’s necessities such as education, health and other social amenities within our communities,” he said.
Abdullahi said that the project was already playing a critical role in addressing two of the priority areas identified by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said these areas included boosting agriculture to achieve food security, and enhancing infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth.
“In order to boost agriculture for food security, RAAMP addresses the critical need for improved agricultural practices and market access.
“By enhancing rural infrastructure, including roads, mini-storage facilities, and marketplaces, the project directly impacts the ability of farmers to reach broader markets,” he said.
The minister said that RAAMP was pivotal in developing rural road networks essential for facilitating the transportation of goods and services.
He said that poor road conditions often hindered farmers’ ability to transport their products to market, resulting in decreased income and economic instability.
“By focusing on road construction and rehabilitation, RAAMP aims to enhance connectivity among rural communities and urban markets, lowering transportation costs and facilitating the flow of agricultural goods.
“This means more efficient supply chains and the ability for farmers to engage in larger and competitive markets,” he said.
Abdullahi said that RAAMP is championing an innovative policy reform initiative that proposes the establishment by law, two critical agencies, Rural Access Road Authority (RARA) and the State Road Fund (SRF).
He said that the proposed RAAMP Scale-up project initiative is focused on the construction of climate-resilient infrastructure.
“One of these is the high cost of the rural road assets. This project is open to all 36 States and the FCT.
“By expanding our reach to cover the 36 states and FCT, we aim to create a more inclusive and prosperous agricultural sector that leaves no community behind,” he said.
“It is also with the ambitious target of improving the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians through the construction of 10,075 kilometers of roads, 1,040 meters of cross-drainage structures.
“To date, 2,743km of rural roads have been awarded by the states and are currently under different phases of implementation,” he said.
“We remain committed to working alongside all stakeholders to develop policies and programmes that enable the participation of smallholder farmers in the agricultural marketplace,” he said.
In a remark, Task Team Lead (TTL), World Bank, Rakeesh Tripathi expressed the organization’s readiness to continue to support the project as well as mobilise expertise.
“We will continue putting our efforts and continue to try to see how we can have an added value, especially in agricultural markets,” he said.
Tripathi was represented by Sali Ibrahim, Project Manager, French Development Agency.
The Director of the Project Coordination Unit, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Bukar Musa said the meeting aimed to brainstorm and proffer solutions to challenges.
He said that the cost of transportation was a major challenge to access markets in the country.
“We want to have a perfect road for our farmers to convey their farm produce.
“We want to make the markets available and conducive, so that farmers would find it easier to convey their farm produce from their various farms,” he said.
He expressed optimism that this would manifest in the drastic reduction of food prices in the country.
NAN
