Amosun Urges FG On Food Security

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun has urged ?the Federal Government to evolve ?policies that would ensure food security in the country.

He made the call recently while declaring open the 40th regular meeting of the National Council on Agriculture in Abeokuta.

The governor observed that the world’s ?population was growing at geometric progression with uncorrelated overall food production resulting in huge food supply gap.

He urged the Federal Government to develop policies and programmes to guarantee adequate and quality food supply.

Amosun said ?the state was willing to partner with the Federal Government and private investors on industrialisation.

He described Ogun as a major industrial hub, adding that the state ?would maximise the various agricultural value chains from locally sourced raw materials to promote industrial development.

The governor said ?20,000 hectares of land had been made available in the state for investors to cultivate crops that have market advantage.

“Ogun State is ready for business, we are ready to partner on the agricultural value chains, we are hungry for development,” he said.

In his address, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, ?said?the country could not afford to be a net importer of food anymore.

Adesina said the Federal Government had generated N591 billion from the cultivation of value-chains in rice, cassava, sorghum, maize and cotton within two years.

“Nigeria can no longer continue to be a sleeping giant. We have to wake up and begin to do things differently,” he said.