Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture and food security, has said that active participation of youth and women farmers in agriculture would fast-track development in the sector, increase production and revitalise agribusiness.

He said this in a statement by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, assistant director of information in the ministry, on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Kyari stated this during a working visit to D’More Food and Spices, the food processing division of Jet Farms Agro Solution Ltd, in Lafia, Nasarawa.

D’More Food and Spices is an agribusiness enterprise owned and managed by the Nigerian youth farmers at Technology Incubation Hub, Lafia, Nasarawa.

The minister said women and youth’s involvement in agriculture would also achieve food and nutrition security.

He said the ministry would provide the strategic policy backbone for transforming agriculture into a tech-enabled, youth and women-driven sector, promote mechanisation, digital agriculture, and research–commercialisation linkages, among others.

Mr Kyari said the initiative would ensure that youth and women farmers have a conducive environment for agribusiness, maximise their potential in production, packaging, marketing and distribution in the agriculture ecosystem.

He said that in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the agric sector, the ministry would continue to support Jet Farms and other emerging youth and women-led agribusinesses across the country.

Mr Kyari inspected a range of products under the company’s D’More Spices brand, including curry, thyme, chilli pepper, rice, among others.

Tobi Olanrewaju, team lead, Jet Farms Agro Solution Ltd, said the farm was established to stop post-harvest losses of farmers and create jobs for the youths, among others.

”The food processing arm of Jet Farms and Agro Solutions Ltd, was born out of one simple but urgent mission: to stop the painful waste of farmers’ harvests, to create dignified jobs for young people and women, and to take the bold flavours of Nigeria to tables across the world,’’ Mr Tobi said in the statement.

According to Mr Olanrewaju, every year, smallholder farmers lose up to half their harvest because of a lack of storage and processing facilities.

”At D’More, we saw both a tragedy and an opportunity.

‘’By processing ginger, turmeric, thyme, curry, chilli, crayfish, and rice into premium-quality spices and food products. We are extending shelf life, creating value, and turning what could have been waste into both income for farmers and nourishment for families.

‘’More than that, we are showing that agriculture is not just survival, it is prosperity and pride,’’ he said.

Mr Olanrewaju advocated for single-digit financing from institutions like the Bank of Industry (BoI), Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and other agric intervention programmes.

(NAN)