The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, has said that growing consumer demand for organic products locally is an indication that the sector has high growth potential.
According to the minister, most of the organic products for sale on the Nigerian market are imported.
Dr Abubakar revealed this, on Thursday, in Abuja at a two-day National Dialogue on Organic Agriculture Policy for Nigeria organized by the Ministry in collaboration with the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Nigeria Initiative.
Represented by the Director of the Federal Department of Land Resources, Shehu Bello, the Minister said that his Ministry wants to end the challenge of rejection of Nigerian products in the international market by introducing organic farming practices into the agricultural system.
The Minister also noted that the absence of the nation’s agricultural products in the international market will soon be a thing of the past.
He said the Ministry is focused on unlocking the potential of organic agriculture, as well as its adoption for the sustainability of soil nutrients and fertility, especially in those areas where agricultural lands within the Savannah and Sahel zones are characterized due to inherent low soil fertility.
“Our ultimate goal in this area is to increase agricultural productivity, earn foreign exchange, alleviate poverty, and improve rural economies and job creation.
“For Nigeria, the agricultural sector is one of the key drivers of the economy, and a vibrant agricultural sector is needed to ensure job creation, adequate agricultural production to meet the growing demand for food and raw materials for agribusiness industries.
“This forms the determination of the Ministry to develop a National Organic Agriculture Policy for Nigeria.
“The policy is all-encompassing and encompasses all business segments and organic farming practices, including production; marketing; Processing; export and import; QA; raw material; training, research and innovation; and Government and Institutions ”, said the Minister.
The Director, Department of Agricultural Input Support Services of the Ministry, Ing. Tunde Bello, speaking, said that with the full implementation of the National Fertilizer Quality Control Law (NFQC) of 2019 and the regulation, the Ministry will begin to sanitize the industry to get rid of adulterers after issuing permits and registration certificates to fertilizer manufacturers, blenders, distributors, exporters and importers.
Bello said the Ministry has started the registration of both organic and inorganic fertilizer players.
He urged all players in the organic fertilizer industry to register and obtain permits for their companies to avoid prosecution.
He said that increasing calls from stakeholders for the development of a proper policy to guide and regulate organic farming operations in Nigeria has received the necessary attention.
Also speaking, Federation Government Secretary Boss Mustapha noted that Nigeria’s agricultural sector has witnessed a remarkable policy shift aimed at increasing agricultural production and ensuring food and nutrition security for citizens.
Mustapha, who was represented by the Director of Public Affairs in the SGF office, Agugu Veronica, pointed out that organic not only generates an economic benefit for the small farmer, but also reduces pollution due to the reduction of runoff from nutrients, especially excess nitrogen.
YOU MUST NOT MISS THESE NIGERIAN TRIBUNE HOLDERS
FAKE! Yoruba is not an official language in Brazil
Claim: A national newspaper and multiple online platforms claim that Brazil has adopted Yoruba as its official language and that the language would be included in the primary and secondary school curriculum.
Verdict: The claim is false. The article content published by these online platforms is not new; It has been recirculated several times and has been discredited. Nigeria to start exporting organic agricultural products – Minister
Nigeria to start exporting organic agricultural products: minister