The Federal Government reeled out a slew of new incentives to attract agricultural investment, which it said could create 21 million jobs in the country.
It also pledged reforms to expand irrigation, improve access to credit and create millions of rural jobs under President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda.
Vice President Kashim Shettima outlined the plans at the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s National and Subregional Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum in Abuja, calling hunger “the great equaliser that reveals our vulnerabilities and the shared fragility of our existence.”
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed details the meeting in a statement.
The measures include single-window platforms for land registration, strengthened agricultural credit systems, large-scale mechanisation, and strategic irrigation projects.
The unveiling comes as rising food prices and climate shocks have intensified calls for long-term investment in the sector.
Nigeria has been under pressure to cut its reliance on imports and address food insecurity, which worsened after fuel subsidy removal and currency reforms deepened inflation in 2023.
Shettima said Nigeria had the capacity to irrigate more than three million hectares of farmland but currently uses less than 10 percent of that potential.
“Strategic investment in irrigation alone could triple yields, free us from seasonal dependency, and fortify our resilience against climate shocks,” he stated.
Punch/ Toyosi Eniola
