The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has expressed satisfaction with the level of agricultural investments and processing activities in Kaduna State.
Kyari gave the commendation on Wednesday after inspecting facilities at Olam Agri, Tomato Jos, and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) as part of the 47th National Council on Agriculture and Food Security (NCAFS).
The minister said the facilities reflected Nigeria’s growing capacity in crop production, value addition, and quality control.
“It’s impressive what we’ve seen — from crop production to processing,” Kyari said.
“We also saw a quality assurance office being built by Afreximbank to certify Nigerian produce for both local and export markets.”
He noted that more Nigerians, including youths and women, were investing in agriculture, contrary to perceptions that investors were reluctant to engage in the sector.
“There is rising interest in agriculture. We met a young lady managing a rice mill with women outgrowers — this shows strong participation and confidence,” he added.
Kyari said the Federal Government was addressing high input costs and restocking strategic reserves to enhance food production and improve farmers’ income.
“Mr. President is balancing the welfare of citizens and farmers. We are tackling input prices and will soon restock the reserves to enable all-year-round production,” he said.
The minister also acknowledged complaints by Tomato Jos over poor sales due to smuggling and assured that the issue was being handled at the presidential level.
“The Economic Management Team has noted the problem of smuggling and illegal imports, and it is being addressed to protect local producers,” he stated.
On liquid fertiliser, Kyari explained that the product required careful policy management because of security concerns.
“Liquid fertiliser is a security-sensitive material. The government will ensure policies that protect the public while supporting farmers,” he said.
Kyari reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and ensuring food security through sustainable agricultural development.
