The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Shehuri, said the agricultural sector has consistently contributed between 22.5 to 23 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Mr Shehuri stated this on Wednesday at the opening of the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) regional training workshop on strategic planning and policy development in food security.

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ernest Umakhihe, represented Mr Shehuri.

He said the agricultural sector in Nigeria remained one of the pillars on which the economy rests.

“The country has vast potential in agriculture with abundant arable land estimated at 82 million hectares of which just little less than 32 million hectares are cultivated.

“This is not to say that we are satisfied, but we are determined to make more significant progress in this direction by generating more yield in crops, fisheries and livestock sub-sectors,” he said.

In an address, director– general of IOFS, Yerlan Baidaulet, expressed happiness in working with the government of Nigeria on food security strategy.

Earlier, Mamadou Bah, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) officer in charge of the regional hub of Abuja, said the bank had realigned strategic objectives from 2023 to 2025.

Ougfaly Badji, agriculture and food security lead expert, Jeddah, said agriculture and food security were areas where strategic planning and policy development are necessary.

“They are necessary to develop clear linkages along the value chains, from production to processing, to marketing, and ultimately to consumption,” he said.

(NAN)