Agriculture: How self-production saves Nigeria $5M daily, ex-Buhari minister reveals

The former minister of agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said that rice production in Nigeria is saving the country millions of dollars.

Chief Ogbeh made this in Abuja on Wednesday, June 21, at the Young Women in Agriculture (YWA) launch.

The event is under the Strategic Intervention Programme-ALPHA (SIP-ALPHA) in collaboration with the Nigerians in the diaspora and with support from Women’s Space USA.

Speaking to Legit.ng at the event, Chief Ogbeh revealed that rice production had saved Nigeria $5 million daily.

He said: “We’re saving Nigeria about $5 million a day. People don’t appreciate this; we’re getting broke because we import too much.”

During the event, the President of UNESCO-REF, Prince Abdusalami Ladigbolu, said the young women in agriculture initiative is aimed at recognising the pivotal role of women in the production process of agriculture.

Why women in agriculture are necessary - Prince Ladigbolu

He said launching Young Women in Agriculture in Nigeria could not have come at any better time than now when food insecurity has become a major issue in Nigeria.

Prince Ladigbolu said: “Despite this key role they play in agricultural development, women have less access to technologies, information, resources, and finance for their agriculture activities across the globe.

“The cost of the gender productivity gap in agriculture – inequalities in access to and control of productive and financial resources – inhibits agricultural productivity, reduces food security, and costs millions to countries."

Ogechi Onyeukwu, the Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Space in the United States, also gave insight into food insecurity and how it can be mitigated in Nigeria.

She said: "That is why I took it upon myself to talk to relevant stakeholders in the US, most especially with the executive members of Women's space to see reasons why we should invest in women's capacity building in Nigeria focusing on the agricultural sector.

"This is because Agriculture is also crucial to economic growth: accounting for 4% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and in some least-developed countries, it can account for more than 25% of GDP."