The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing post-harvest losses and improving Nigeria’s food system through the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme. 

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, stated this on Thursday in Abuja at the federal inter-agency technical committee meeting on the SAPZ programme.

He said the initiative was a key pillar of the government’s agricultural transformation agenda, designed to reposition the sector from raw commodity exports to value addition, agro-processing and market-driven production.

According to him, SAPZ will reduce post-harvest losses, improve productivity, attract private-sector investment, create jobs for youth and women, strengthen food security, and boost rural incomes across participating states.

Mr Ogunbiyi said the programme aligns with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, as well as broader goals of economic diversification, import substitution, food security and rural industrialisation.

He said SAPZ was not merely an infrastructure project, but a strategic platform for turning rural communities into centres of economic growth and industrial development.

The permanent secretary added that the ministry would continue to provide policy direction, coordination and an enabling environment to ensure effective implementation of the programme.

Earlier, the Director, Federal Department of Development Partners, Dr Iluromi Adebola, said SAPZ would support sustainable agricultural transformation through value addition, agro-industrialisation, and private-sector participation.

She noted that the inter-agency committee plays a critical role in ensuring coordination, policy alignment and timely resolution of implementation challenges.

Also speaking, the National Project Coordinator of SAPZ, Dr Kabir Yusuf, said the programme had already supported farmers with inputs and training on extension services, good agronomic practices and community seed production systems.

He added that SAPZ was designed as a cross-cutting platform to attract private investment in agro-processing, with the potential to enhance food security, create jobs, reduce rural poverty, and increase agriculture’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). 

(NAN)