The minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, on Wednesday, expressed satisfaction with the level of agricultural investments and processing activities in Kaduna.

Mr Kyari spoke after inspecting facilities at Olam Agri, Tomato Jos, and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone as part of the 47th National Council on Agriculture and Food Security.

The minister said the facilities reflected the country’s growing capacity in crop production, value addition, and quality control.

Mr Kyari stated, “It’s impressive what we’ve seen from crop production to processing. We also saw a quality assurance office being built by Afreximbank to certify Nigerian produce for local and export markets.”

He said that more Nigerians, particularly youth and women, were investing in agriculture, contrary to claims that investors were afraid to engage in the sector.

“There is rising interest in agriculture. We met a young lady managing a rice mill with women outgrowers — this shows strong participation and confidence,” he said.

The minister stated that the federal government was addressing high input costs and restocking strategic reserves to boost food production and farmers’ incomes.

“Mr President is balancing the welfare of citizens and farmers. We are tackling input prices and will soon restock the reserves to enable all-year-round production,” he said.

Mr Kyari also acknowledged complaints by Tomato Jos over poor sales due to smuggling and assured that the issue was being handled at the presidential level.

“The Economic Management Team has noted the issue of smuggling and illegal imports, and it is being addressed to protect local producers,” he said.

Regarding liquid fertiliser, Mr Kyari said the product requires careful policy management due to security concerns.

“Liquid fertiliser is a security-sensitive material. Government will ensure policies that protect the public while supporting farmers,” he said.

Mr Kyari reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and ensuring food security through sustainable agricultural development.

(NAN)