The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have commenced discussions on the deployment of existing technical competencies and other resources to improve agro allied-industries development targets, climate change mitigations and solar irrigation aimed at dry-season farming.
The trio of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of State, Hon. Sabi Aliyu Abdullahi and the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, who held the meeting in Abuja, Monday, agreed that the collaboration between NASENI and agric ministry would enhance the focus and deliverables toward the achievement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
A press statement issued by the Director of Information of the agency, Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, said Senator Abubakar Kyari gave insight to some of the essentials in the 8-Point Renewed Hope Agenda of the government, saying about six of the eight socio-economic recovery programmes have the starting points in their achievements rooted in the success of his ministry.
The minister commended EVC NASENI, Halilu and his team for having agriculture as one of the agency’s target area to work.
“I won’t be tired of saying that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given my Ministry the responsibility to carry one of the important programmes in the 8-point Renewed Hope agenda, which is food security and five others,” he said.
Addressing the ministry’s top government functionaries, Halilu explained that NASENI’s technical manpower, technologies and also international partners were ready to work in ensuring that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in food production, processing and export.
Part of the efforts in actualising this goal, he disclosed, is the ongoing NASENI scheme to refurbish about 50,000 broken tractors across the country under the presidential initiative, aimed at bringing back the culture of large cultivation of lands for farming.
The EVC said since assuming office, he has been receiving a lot of requests in terms of how NASENI could add value around agriculture from production all the way to the market. He disclosed that a recent outing by the Agency at the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum in China attracted about $6 billion dollars’ investment and about 40 per cent of the monies will be channeled to agriculture.
