- The federal government, through Fredrick Nwabufo, revealed its plan to allocate N1.6bn to combat ginger blight
- The government also implemented a range of programmes to bolster food production and stabilise prices
- In addition, there is an initiative to boost livestock production through the provision of vaccines to prevent common animal diseases
In a bold move to protect one of Nigeria's top agricultural exports, the Federal Government has announced a N1.6 billion intervention to help farmers fight ginger blight, a devastating disease threatening the country’s ginger production.
Fredrick Nwabufo, President Bola Tinubu's senior special assistant on public engagement, revealed the initiative on Monday via his X account. He emphasised the government’s focus on agricultural resilience as part of its broader food security strategy.
In the government effort to combat pest infestation, Nwabufo stated that the government “Launched initiatives to combat ginger blight, providing N1.6bn in support of affected farmers and distributed pesticides and fungicides.”
Nwabufo highlighted that food security is at the heart of President Tinubu’s agenda. "Securing the nation’s food supply is not just an economic priority; it’s a matter of national security. Hunger is a threat we cannot afford to overlook.
“Agriculture and food security are nucleic aspects of President Tinubu’s policy design. Food is an essential and integral component of existence,” he added.
He also asserted that “protecting the people against hunger is a basic extension of this sacred duty.”
He noted that the N1.6 billion support is part of a series of interventions by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security designed to address immediate needs and long-term agricultural sustainability.
According to him, these measures include distributing pesticides and fungicides to affected farmers, ensuring that Nigeria’s position as one of the world’s largest producers of ginger remains secure.
In addition to the ginger blight initiative, Nwabufo said the government has implemented various programmes to bolster food production and stabilise prices.
This includes the recent suspension of duties on various food commodities such as maize, rice, and wheat and the launch of a dry season farming initiative that has cultivated 118,657 hectares of wheat across 15 states. “This effort supported 107,429 farmers and resulted in 474,628 metric tonnes of wheat,” he stated.
Other interventions include the distribution of 60,000 metric tonnes of improved seeds, 2.15 million bags of fertilizers, and critical farming inputs across 109 crop production clusters, which benefit thousands of Nigerian farmers. The Central Bank of Nigeria is pivotal in facilitating these efforts.
He added that “Over 2,770 farmers have been empowered across 109 crop production clusters, receiving essential inputs and resources to enhance their productivity.”
FG includes an initiative to improve livestock production
Additionally, he included that the government is turning its attention to livestock production, distributing 14 million doses of vaccines to prevent common animal diseases and providing extensive biosecurity training to livestock farmers to curb antimicrobial resistance.
He said, “Training of livestock farmers on biosecurity and antimicrobial resistance is also underway.”
Nwabufo reiterated that these actions are part of the government’s larger vision to ensure a sustainable food future for Nigeria, even as the nation grapples with current agricultural challenges.
“At compelling times such as now, it is important to keep citizens abreast of the government’s efforts in this respect,” he added, reinstating the administration’s dedication to ensuring food security for all Nigerians.
FG unveils plans to distribute high-yield seedlings to combat food production and inflation
Meanwhile, TheRadar previously wrote about the Federal government's plan to boost food production with high-yield seedlings for dry-season farming to combat increasing food prices.
This plan was announced by Mr Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, along with senior officials from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Flour Mills of Nigeria, in Abuja on Tuesday, September 24.
Also, the goal of NAGS-AP (National Agricultural Growth Scheme – Agro-Pocket) initiative is to drive higher productivity and output among farmers, ensuring a notable effect on both food security and agricultural growth nationwide.
