Provide land for dry season farming - FG tells govs

The Federal Government has written to all 36 state governors and the Federal Capital Territory to provide land for dry season farming, as part of measures to tackle food emergencies across the country.

It disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at a briefing to commemorate the 2023 World Food Day, where the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, announced that the dry season farming would begin with priority crops including wheat, rice, maize and cassava.

He said, “On the issue of dry season farming, we have written to all states. We have written to all 36 state governors and the Federal Capital Territory to request if they have available land for dry season farming.

“In fact, I just came back from Jigawa State a few days ago where we inspected some of the lands being prepared for dry season wheat farming, which starts in a month’s time.”

The minister said the initiative would be implemented in several states, adding that “Ogun State has already indicated interest and we will go and visit their farms too. So it is not going to be only in Jigawa, it is going to be replicated in several states.”

Kyari said the theme for this year’s World Food Day – ‘Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind’, had highlighted the core objective of the annual event “and brings to mind the need to heighten public awareness and action to improve our food systems and alleviate hunger.”