(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Adesina-300x224.jpg) The Federal Government's interventions in the agricultural sector, Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the present administration has now raised the net earnings of rural farmers to the sum of 174 billion naira due to its activities in five value chains namely Cassava, Rice (Dry Season and Rainy Season), Sorghum, Maize and Cotton, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has revealed.
During his presentation of the Mid-Term Achievements of the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration in that Sector, Dr. Adesina gave the breakdown of earnings for each value chain as follows: Cassava 3 billion naira, Rice (Rainy Season) 32 billion naira, Rice (Dry Season)32 billion naira, 0.4 billion naira (Sorghum), Maize 105 billion naira, Cotton 2 billion naira.
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Adesina-and-Maku.jpg) (http://fmi.gov.ng/agricultural-transformations-intervention-in-five-value-chains-raises-net-earnings-for-rural-farmers-adesina-agric-miniister/adesina-and-maku/)Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Adewunmi Adesina and Minister of Information, Labaran Maku seated at the Ministerial Platform 2013. He said 4.2 million farmers where registered in the country in 2012 and 10 million farmers have been registered so far in 2013.
Dr. Adesina told his audience that private investors are increasingly taking notice of the opportunities in the country's agricultural sector. Local and international operational and financial investors have committed to investing across all stages of the agricultural supply chain. According to him, his Ministry has secured "$3.3 Billion of Investment Commitments in Executed Letters of Intent and an additional $6 Billion Indicated Commitments" adding that over 30 high-profile private investor meetings have been held at ministry since January 2013.
The Agriculture Minister also hinted that investments in priority value chains including aquaculture, cassava, dairy, livestock, maize, mango, orange, palm oil, pineapple, rice, rubber, sesame, tomato, wheat are being planned.
On fruits to juice processing he pointed out that Teragro is investing N1billion ($6.2 million) in Processing of Fruit Juice Concentrates while Dansa Foods is committing $45 million in Planting and Processing of Fruits to Juice Concentrate in Cross Rivers State adding that Nigeria is the biggest tomato producer in Sub-Saharan Africa and the 14th largest tomato producer globally.
Dr. Adesina also noted that several financial institutions are backing Nigeria's ATA. Some of the institutions and their respective commitments include the ADB-$500million, World Bank- $500million, IFAD-$80million, UNDP-$1.5million, DFID -£37million and USAID-$100million among others.
In his remarks, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said with President Goodluck Jonathan's intervention in the Agricultural Sector through the ATA Nigeria has moved from agriculture of producing raw materials for Europe to produce processing nation. "Whatever we produce now we are going to process", Maku declared.
He said the amount of rice being produced in the country now had never been achieved in the history of the country. "Nigeria has the capacity to not only produce rice for the country but for the whole of Africa. This President has done so much to the best of my knowledge than any President has done in a long time", stated the Information Minister.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria