The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari has said that the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Project, NAGS- AP has so far supported over 300,000 farmers across Nigeria.
The minister disclosed this at the Cross River Basin Development Authority, CRBDA during the flag off of the 2024/2025 National dry season farming.
The event also marked the maiden commencement of wheat cultivation in Cross River State under NAGS-AP.
The minister said besides this, for this year’s dry season wheat farming, 250,000 farmers will be supported to produce 750,000 metric tonnes of wheat in addition to 150, 000 rice farmers across the country.
“So far, the NAGS-AP Project has been able to support 107,429 wheat farmers under the phase 1 of the 2023/2024 dry season, 43,997 rice farmers under the second phase of the 2023/2024 dry season.
” Recently 192,095 rice, maize, sorghum/millet, soyabean and cassava farmers under the 2024 wet season were supported across the 37 States including Abuja.
“For the 2024/2025 dry season farming, the project is targeted to support 250,000 wheat farmers across the wheat-producing states with subsidized agricultural inputs to cultivate about 250,000 hectares with an expected output of about 750,000 metric tons of wheat.
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“Equally the Program will provide support to 150,000 rice farmers under the second phase to cover all the 36 States including FCT, Abuja with an expected output of about 450,000 metric tons”, the minister said.
The minister added that the implementation of the programme has substantially increased food production in the country thereby decreasing the food supply demand gap.
Also speaking, Ishaku Buba, the national project coordinator of NAGS-AP said the dry season wheat farming will cover 16 wheat producing states in Nigeria including Cross River.
On his part, Dr. Peter Odey, the deputy governor of Cross River State said the state is ready for wheat cultivation.
Dr. Odey who spoke on behalf of the Governor, Bassey Otu added that through NAGS-AP, Cross River is now the 16th wheat producing state in Nigeria and the only one in Southern Nigeria.
